Though he rarely leaves his house, has no armed militia, holds no press conferences or interviews and communicates largely through hand-written notes, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has somehow cornered the US into accepting his vision for the post-war destiny of his country.
Less than three months to go before planned January parliamentary elections, which the US reluctantly assented to under pressure from Mr Sistani, the elderly spiritual leader of Iraq's Shia Muslims is poised for the culmination of his strategy.
