Iraq: Major Party Leader Splits off to Form New Group

Ammar al-Hakim announced July 24 that he was stepping down as the leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), a major Shiite political party, to form the new National Wisdom party. Little is known about this new organization, although al-Hakim will retain his seat as chairman of the Shiite National Alliance, an umbrella group of Shiite political parties that hold more than half the seats in the Iraqi National Assembly....