Madhi Army to Disarm

Great news! As Grim says, however, it is to be taken with a grain of salt due to the volatile nature of the region. The signs are all looking up!

BLACKFIVE: Madhi Army to Disarm: "LT Nixon points us to a now-confirmed account: Sadr literature states that the Madhi Army henceforth 'is not allowed to use arms at all.'

The movement of JAM to a political faction is, as the movement of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front could yet be, a major milestone on the rocky road from war to peace. Sadr's movement here is coerced by our fighting forces and the success of the Iraqi government -- and yet it is nevertheless also good for the Sadrist faction. Though they lost their bid to set up a separate government within the state, by competing fairly for political authority -- and therefore by sharing in the larger economic pie, which will grow faster as peace becomes more real -- the Sadrists will benefit far beyond what they could have won by fighting.

The 'second problem' is progressing toward a solution. That doesn't mean that TIME Magazine is right, and victory is inevitable: but it is a very hopeful sign, and a wonderful thing for the good people in Iraq who have suffered so much in the recent war."