Conflict

Conflict case studies - Middle East

Iraq

The agenda for peace and reconstruction in Iraq is hampered by ongoing violence and insecurity. This document provides a policy-focused consideration of the challenges of reconstruction in Iraq:

Open Society Institute and the United Nations Foundation, 2003, 'Reconstructing Iraq: A Guide to the Issues', A joint publication of the Open Society Institute and the United Nations Foundation
Post-war reconstruction and transition to self-governance in Iraq pose complex challenges and it seems clear that the US, rather than the United Nations, will continue to play the dominant role. How do plans for Iraq diverge from past examples of post-conflict reconstruction? With the UN occupying little more than an endorsement role, can the US succeed? Compiled for the Open Society Institute and the United Nations Foundation, this paper provides concise background information on post-war reconstruction generally and on Iraq specifically.
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This document considers the role of democracy in ethno-religious conflict and the future for democracy in Iraq.

Wimmer, A, 2003, 'Democracy and Ethno-Religious Conflict in Iraq', Survival, 45 (4), pp. 111-134
The seeds of democracy may have difficulty germinating in the sandy soils of Iraq where central political institutions have crumbled. Is Western-style democracy feasible in the current political landscape? What can be done to minimise the ethno-religious elements likely to be unleashed by the democratisation process? Compiled for Survival, this paper explores the rise of the ethnic question in Iraq and the likelihood that democracy will be dominated by the same ethno-religious divisions that have shaped Iraq’s history since independence.
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