A Divisive Figure Unites Iraq's Shiite Leaders

While most of the world's attention is fixed on northern Iraq, where the battle for Mosul entered its second day, an important political bargain is taking shape in the southern city of Najaf. On Tuesday, a meeting between Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and several prominent Shiite military leaders yielded unusual statements of unity. The meeting demonstrated a concerted effort to pull together Iraq's fractious Shiite community into a more cohesive bloc ahead of the country's 2017 municipal elections. And though each participant undoubtedly had his own ulterior motive for supporting that cause, the meeting's promise of greater stability in Iraq -- however hollow -- was a welcome development for the beleaguered country....