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During decades of turmoil, war, and regime change in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has played a critical, often overlooked role\u2014steering Iraq away from sectarian conflict, promoting civic democracy over direct theocracy, and quietly seeking to calm regional tensions.\n\xa0\nOn this episode of Order from Ashes, Century International fellow Sajad Jiyad explains how Sistani has appealed to a majority of the world\u2019s millions of Shia Muslims with his indirect model of clerical authority, a stark contrast to the competing model of direct clerical rule advanced by his compatriots in Iran.\xa0\n\xa0\nJiyad has published a new political biography,\xa0 God\u2019s Man in Iraq: The Life and Leadership of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, which offers the first comprehensive account of Sistani\u2019s legacy and draws on original sources and hundreds of interviews during decades of fieldwork inside Iraq. Jiyad\xa0\n\xa0\nObservers of Iraq and of Shia power will find God\u2019s Man in Iraq an incomparable appraisal of Sistani\u2019s legacy\u2014and an invaluable guide to the perilous transition that will follow his tenure.\n\xa0\nYou can learn more and order copies on the book\u2019s homepage.\xa0 God\u2019s Man in Iraq is also available in Arabic.\n\xa0\nRead:\xa0\nCommentary: "The Man Who Saved Iraq," by Sajad Jiyad (in English and Arabic)\nBook page: God\u2019s Man in Iraq: The Life and Leadership of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, by Sajad Jiyad\nArabic book page: \u0631\u062c\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0641\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0627\u0642\n\xa0\nParticipants:\nSajad Jiyad, fellow, Century International\nThanassis Cambanis, director, Century International