When a pronouncement by a religious scholar in Iran drove Iraq to the brink of civil war last week, there was only one man who could stop it: 92-year-old Iraqi Shiite religious authority Ali al-Sistani, who proved once again he is the most powerful man in his country.
Sistani said nothing in public about the unrest that erupted on Iraq's streets. But government officials and Shiite insiders say it was only Sistani's stance behind the scenes that halted a meltdown.
