There is no real public discussion either in the media or by presidential candidates to make the changes necessary to democratize the economy. We have seen a general move to an increasingly regressive tax system in the past 30 or 40 years in the US and Europe. Public boards should make corporations and banks more accountable. Watch the interview with Leo Panitch.

In this three part story on "Who is Muqtada al Sadr", Senior News Editor Paul Jay introduces the context . . . Sadr's call for all out war until liberation if the attacks on Sadr city do not end.

The Real News Analyst Pepe Escobar introduces Sadr in his own words with clips from a rare interview with Al Jazeera.

Patrick Cockburn, author of the book Muqtada, tells Pepe Escobar that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s recent military offensive against al-Sadr may be an attempt to control the outcome of provisional elections to be held this fall, which al-Sadr and his allies are likely to win. Cockburn concludes a new phase in the war may have started, where large sections of Shia militias enter the fight against US occupation.

More at: http://therealnews.com/c.php?c=080401YT