Back in October, I made a presentation at the annual fall conference of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, on a panel entitled “Shiites and U.S. Policy: Between Allies and Adversaries.” I’ve been sent the proofs of my remarks for publication, and they look clean, so I’m posting them here. My main argument: two discourses are competing for Shiite allegiance, democracy and resistance. Read on.

If you want more basic information on the location of Shiites in the Middle East, consult this interactive map. And I admire this article by Vali Nasr, on regional implications of the Shiite revival in Iraq.