I think it's a mistake to rely too much on any one economic factor. It's why investors try to spread their portfolio round.
In the small country of Burkina Faso, if I remember correctly, it costs 1-1/2 times per capita income to pay the license fees to start a business. That's only about US$500 but for a poor person in Burkina who is trying to start a business it's an impossible barrier.
He's not an insignificant figure, ... But we're also not trying to anoint him or anyone else as the future leader of Iraq. ... His status as a political leader is going to have to be decided by Iraqis, not by Americans.