It is hard to over-estimate what is at stake in Iraq today. The removal of Saddam Hussein has proved to be the beginning not the culmination of a long and very uncertain process of state building. This Adelphi examines the process of state building now underway in Iraq from a military, political and sociological perspective. Possible futures for Iraq are charted firstly by studying the evolution of the criminal and politically motivated violence that has come to dominate the everyday lives of ordinary Iraqis. It then details the strengths and weaknesses of the political structures built after regime change, from the formation of the Iraqi Governing Council in 2003 to the elections of January 2005. Finally it traces the dynamics driving political mobilisation in post Saddam Iraq. It concludes by analysing the ramifications of regime change for US policy and the wider Middle East.
Table of contents:
Introduction: What Is At Stake In Iraq
Chapter 1: Order and Violence in Post-Saddam Iraq
The Evolution of the Insurgency: Tactics and Targets
The Organisation of the Insurgency
The Problem of Militias
The Iraqi Security Forces
Conclusions
Chapter 2: Rebuilding the Iraqi State
The Legacy of Saddam Hussein
US Planning Before and After the War
Building Political Structures in Post-Saddam Iraq
The Elections of 2005
Indications of Future Problems: The Interim Constitution
Conclusions
Chapter 3: Political Mobilisation in the New Iraq
Political Mobilisation and Regional Trends
Trends Within the Shia Community
The Kurdish North
Political Mobilisation amongst Iraqi Sunnis
Conclusions
Conclusion: The Future of Iraq and the Stability of the Greater Middle East
