Summary was created by
Pride and Power: A Modern History of Iraq
- Background info
- For policymakers
My book explored Iraq’s modern history and the fundamental issues that have shaped its political development. It has a chronological approach, starting in the Ottoman period and looking at how the state was created after the First World War.
Iraq was set up as a “modern state” with a League of Nations’ mandate. To a large extent, it was an imperialist project, but couched in the language of international law. It had this humanitarian language attached to it, saying, “We’re doing this for the Iraqis, for the interests of the Iraqis.” But by and large, it was all set to work with British interests, which was to control Iraq, control the oil, control the strategic region, the air routes to other parts of the empire, etc.
For that reason, there was never a gradual development of indigenous institutions linked to the state; they were imposed top-down from abroad. A monarchy was installed under Faisal, the son of Sharif Hussein. He was brought in from outside and became king, even though he had no association with Iraq and had never set foot there before. All of that conspired to make the new state and its institutions tenuous. Iraq’s modern history has revolved around efforts by its elites to make those institutions more palatable and rooted, and ordinary Iraqis’ resisting them, instead making use of familial, tribal, and sectarian ties.
I did this research because at the time of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I became very interested in Iraq. I realized there weren’t many historical works on Iraq, and most of them weren’t based on solid research. I wanted to present a different perspective than what was the media-driven narrative at that time, which was all about the Western perspective and very little about what it actually meant to Iraqis themselves.
The book took me many years to work on off and on. It’s about 600 pages long and covers Iraq’s modern history up until 2019, following the defeat of ISIS and when a new government came in, but we still started to see the same old problems.
Insights
A lack of institutionalization is a key issue in Iraq, with no process for institutions to grow and gain trust from the population. This issue can be traced back to the British-established institutions in the 1920s and 1930s, followed by a series of coups and revolutions, and the authoritarian rule of the Baath party, which also failed to gain popular support.
Different political groups in Iraq, like the Iraqi Communist Party, Kurdish groups, and the Baathists, have tried to resist Western powers and establish their own political systems.However, these groups have struggled to build consensus and were often only able to gain power through force.
The challenges faced by Iraq in establishing democracy are not solely due to the Iraqi people, but also involve outside forces and the way Iraq was created - and not consulting with Iraqis about the type of institutions needed for their country.
A parallel can be drawn between the current corruption in Iraq and the corruption of the 1950s. Politicians, knowing they have the backing of Western powers means that they feel secure and know that the Western powers will turn a blind eye to certain types of corruption, resulting in the system growing more corrupt.
Proposed action
Building trust in state institutions
Encourage the return of exiled professionals
Engage people in local governance
Address corruption
Support religious institutions in promoting trust
Transform militias into a part of the state
Work with willing partners to enact change
Encourage regional and international cooperation
Let Iraqis put pressure on leaders
Acknowledgements
Thank you to KPSRL
These insights were made available thanks to the support of KPSRL, who are committed to the dissemination of knowledge for all.
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