Sadr espoused a national discourse that rejected sectarian and ethnic biases. He sent representatives to meet the protesters and mediate between them and the government. That symbolic move, which achieved nothing significant on the ground, at least portrayed Sadr as a moderate political partner who does not build relationships based on sectarianism.
Sadr has left Tehran. He now moves around a lot and has not settled at a particular location, in order to prevent the key Iraqi powers from influencing his decisions.
Even though he and his close associates have not explained why he changed his discourse, there is evidence to suggest that his relationship with Tehran is no longer perfect, especially after he did not follow Iranian directives of Iraqi issues.
Sadr’s political transformation may be explained by the following factors: First, he leads a young movement whose followers are mostly from historically poor, marginalized and oppressed areas. Second, he belongs to a school of thought and to a religious lineage that are open to new ideas and that take courageous positions in line with the national mood.
Sadr’s moderate Iraqi positions have been reflected in his regional positions as well. He had privileged relations with Turkey when Iraq’s Shiites were angry with Turkish behavior. He took positions close to those of the Gulf countries when they were being accused of supporting the insurgency. And he did all that without abandoning his distinguished relations with Iran.
The US withdrawal from Iraq may be an additional reason why Sadr has come to adopt non-violent positions. In fact, he has started opposing the carrying of arms and calls for respect of the law.
He certainly could repair the damage that PM Al-Maliki has done to the unity of Iraq. Political renewal and honesty are key elements to fight corruption and nepotism in Iraq.
Missing elements in current regime