In March 1980, Saddam declared membership in Dawa a capital offense, and executed 96 members. In April, he hanged not only Ayatollah Sadr, but also his sister Bint al-Huda, leader of a Shiite women's movement.
The Dawa went into exile in Iran, and, in September 1980, Saddam pre-emptively invaded that country, in what he mistakenly thought would be a quick campaign to grab territory and end government by the ayatollahs.
In 1982, as the war continued, SCIRI was founded by Iraqi exiles in Iran. Its leader was Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, a son of the late Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakim. Muhammad's brother, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, became leader of SCIRI's militia, the Badr Brigades.
According to SCIRI's website, Saddam retaliated against the Hakims by arresting 125 family members and executing 18.
When Iraq's first post-Saddam democratic government was finally formed this year, Nouri al-Maliki became prime minister. He is a member of Dawa. Warlord Moqtada Sadr leads a bloc in Maliki's coalition. He is a cousin of the late Ayatollah Sadr. Abdul Aziz al Hakim's SCIRI is the largest single party in Iraq's parliament.
SCIRI retains its Badr Brigades. Moqtada Sadr has his Mahdi Army. Both militias are backed by Iran. Both are reportedly responsible for sectarian murders and violence.
Sunni-governed Arab states -- seeing the obvious potential for radicalized Iraqi Shiites to extract a payback for Saddam's brutal bloodletting while securing their long-sought Islamic republic -- have been fretting that if U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq before political stability can be established, a Sunni-Shiite conflict could ensue that goes beyond the borders of Iraq.
In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Nawaf Obaid, an adviser to the Saudi government, even warned that if the United States begins withdrawing from Iraq, the Saudis will intervene in some form themselves. "To be sure, Saudi engagement in Iraq carries great risks -- it could spark a regional war," wrote Obaid. "So be it."
The dream of establishing democracies throughout the Middle East beginning in Baghdad must now give way to finding whatever practical steps can be taken to best protect our interests there while preserving our security here.