Can the US keep Iraqi Shiites happy for long?
Juan Cole British officials publicly worried recently that the United States-led coalition occupying Iraq had only about a year before the Shiites of Iraq turned against it. Shiites, the majority in the country, so far have been more welcoming of the coalition military and civilian presence than have the Sunni Arabs. But the Shiite community, which is more religious than most outside observers had anticipated, is deeply ambivalent about the occupation. Like most Iraqis, Shiites dislike the idea of occupation, but most also want the security provided by coalition troops, at least for now. If very many Shiites turn hostile, they might begin listening to radical voices. This would make Iraq ungovernable for the coalition. Tensions have arisen with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the pre-eminent Shiite religious authority, over the procedure for drafting a new constitution. A July 1 fatwa, or legal ruling, by Sistani rejected the US s original plan, under which the US-appointed Governing Coun
