It looked to many Iraqis like the beginning of a civil war, but the fighting that broke out last week was over almost as quickly as it started. But there's a difference between stable and stuck, and Iraq is still in the same political stalemate that sparked the violence. And at the center of it all is Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr and his unexpected retirement from politics. Is Iraq in the calm before the storm, or will cooler heads prevail once again? 

In this episode:
Imran Khan (@ajimran), Al Jazeera senior correspondent
Ali Hashem (@alihashem_tv), Al Jazeera senior journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Chloe K. Li, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Negin Owliaei and Halla Mohieddeen. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera English’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

It looked to many Iraqis like the beginning of a civil war, but the fighting that broke out last week was over almost as quickly as it started. But there's a difference between stable and stuck, and Iraq is still in the same political stalemate that sparked the violence. And at the center of it all is Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr and his unexpected retirement from politics. Is Iraq in the calm before the storm, or will cooler heads prevail once again? 
In this episode:
<ul>
<li>Imran Khan (<a href="https://twitter.com/ajimran">@ajimran</a>), Al Jazeera senior correspondent</li>
<li>Ali Hashem (<a href="https://twitter.com/alihashem_tv">@alihashem_tv</a>), Al Jazeera senior journalist</li>
</ul>
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Chloe K. Li, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Negin Owliaei and Halla Mohieddeen. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera English’s head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

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