Fragile States: The Case of Iraq Flashcards
(8 cards)
Iraq: Vital facts
Population: 44 million (2024)
1932: Independence from Britain
4th-largest oil exporter in the world
Historically, Iraqi Sunni and Shi’a Muslims got along well and intermarried
Saddam Hussein played different groups against each other
killed over 200,000 Iraqi citizens
Iran-Iraq war killed 1 million people
2003 US-UK invasion and violent aftermath killed thousands of Iraqis
Almost 50% of Iraqis are under 19; between 55% and 65% are women
Origins of State Weakness = why so many conflicts
colonial:
1916 Sykes-Picot agreement: Ottoman Empire fell, the UK and France made a secret pact to carve up their respective spheres of influence in the Middle East
1920: Iraq (Mesopotamia) assigned as a British Protectorate
+ arbitrarily-drawn borders, Iraq has had separatist ethno-regional elements seeking independence (Kurds) or aligning with foreign powers (Iran)
Iraq: Independence timeline
1920: Angered by British control, Iraqis revolted across Iraq, British forces put down the revolt only with great difficulty by relying on aerial bombardment to suppress uprisings
1932: Iraq gains independence: Britain retains military bases, advisory role
1958: Military coup overthrows British-aligned monarchy, installs secular Arab Nationalist government
1960-75: Iraqi government wages war against separatist Kurdish population in northern Iraq
1963, 1968: Successive coups d’etat
Iraq under Saddam Hussein
Hussein seized power in 1979 and ruled till US forces overthrew him in 2003
Under Hussein, Iraq was a “hard state” and a “fierce state” but not a strong state (Nazih Ayubi, 1995)
Excluded rivals; promoted communal, ethnic, and interreligious mistrust (promoting his own tribe, the Al-Takritis, and playing others off against each other) ; developed patronage networks; and crushed dissent
The Iraqi state was very powerful in terms of monopoly over the use of force, but lacked popular legitimacy
conflicts iraq timeline
1960s-2003: Iraq waged a protracted low- intensity war vs. Kurds
1980-88: Saddam Hussein launches extremely long and bloody war with Iran
launched a military invasion of Kuwait in 1990
External powers led by US fought large-scale wars against Iraq in 1990-1 (Operation Desert Storm) and 2003 (Operation Iraqi Freedom)
Post-invasion Iraq (immidate)
March 2003: US and UK invade Iraq on the pretext of stopping Hussein’s support for terrorism (post 9/11) and building weapons of mass destruction - discredited
Under US occupation, Iraq became a
democracy with multiparty elections and a constitution, but few Iraqis regard the new government as legitimate
Outcomes of invasion (long term)
paralyzed by extreme corruption and deep sectarian divisions
economy has stagnated; malnutrition and food insecurity have increased; health services have deteriorated
2014, the US-trained Iraqi army was rapidly defeated by the much smaller Islamic State (ISIS) forces due to lack of cohesion and motivation
Non-State Actor: Islamic State In Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
Founded 2006 in US-occupied Iraq
Captured territory in Iraq and Syria since 2014
Weakened states, porous borders have enabled militants to move freely
Religious divisions (between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims) have contributed to conflict
ISIS established Caliphate in areas under its control, collected tax revenue, provided infrastructure, enforced laws
