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# Posted 3:52 AM by Patrick Belton

SISTANI WATCH/READING LIST: I'd promised you all yesterday a running compendium of pieces on the Iraqi constitution, Sistani, and the Iraqi Shi'i, so I'm before you here this morning to deliver. We're also having a discussion tonight on analyzing Sistani, the SCIRI party, and trends in the Iraqi Shi'a community, here in the Oxford chapter of our little foreign policy society, so if any of you feel like heading out to Oxford, you're warmly welcome.

As far as understanding Sistani goes, Spencer Ackerman has written on the subject on his TNR blog, Iraq'd, CFR does a backgrounder, CS Monitor, which I'm increasingly impressed by, has a piece, and NPR ran a profile which is basically an interview with Juan Cole. Also, RFE has a brief profile, and Slate has a piece, too.

As far as understanding SCIRI goes, FAS has a profile - the WaPo had one as well, a third one dates to the pre-war period - and other worthwhile pieces are here and here.

I haven't come across any pieces that are quite as good about the trends among the Shi'a in general - perhaps because what those trends really are is somewhat more nebulous. The best I've found are CS Monitor, Guardian, Juan Cole, and Juan Cole's blog.

Please let us know if you run across any other pieces you think we should include in this list!

UPDATE: Steve Den Beste wrote a lengthy and insightful post today on the constitution, and particularly electoral incentives it attempts to introduce toward moderation and compromise

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