Naval postgraduate school monterey, california thesis approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

 
Figure 7.
 
Iraqi Interpreter Holding the back plate of an Incoherent Spray 
Explosively Formed Penetrator
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9. 
Another Opening to Engagement 
Moqtada al Sadr and the U.S. have the same goal: for the U.S. to reduce its 
military footprint as soon as possible and ultimately leave altogether leaving behind a 
unified and stable Iraq with a functioning government. Unlike many of the Iraqi 
insurgents who have risen up against the U.S. occupation, al Sadr’s militia has supported 
the Iraqi government since 2005. This support is reflected in the participation of Sadr’s 
party, the United Iraqi Alliance in the government. This does not mean that 
uncooperative militias are unwilling to negotiate a solution for stability. For example, in 
September 2007, Finland held a secret peace seminar led by the Finnish President Martti 
Ahtisaari, which included representatives of Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr and one of the 
largest Sunni political groups led by Adnan al Dulaimi. The seminar was held for rival 
factions so they could “examine how lessons learned from peace processes in South 
188
Picture taken by the author on April 28, 2005 during a post-blast exploitation mission of an EFP 
attack against a military police convoy near the Northeastern edge of Sadr City, Iraq. 

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Africa and Northern Ireland could be applied to Iraq.”
189
Moqtada al Sadr also stated 
that in August 2007 that he “would welcome a planned expansion of the United Nations 
mission in Iraq if it was designed to help Iraqis rebuild their country.”
190 
This suggests a 
willingness by Sadr to be part of the solution in Iraq, and perhaps to work with the U.S. 
toward that end.