Martin Kramer has an interesting posting on the continued debate over whether Ayatollah Sistani issued a fatwa calling on the inhabitants of Najaf to not interfere with U.S. forces.

He notes: "His office in Iran announced to news outlets that it could not confirm American claims of a fatwa, which Al-Jazeera promptly turned into a denial. It doesn't matter now: Ayatollah Sistani achieved precisely the effect he desired, which was to spare Najaf a vicious battle.)"

He also offers a number of additional insights on Sistani and on his politics towards the other Ulama in the region.