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International Development Middle East Policy & Politics Regional Topical

Why Iraq’s Consociation Has Become a Driver for Chronic Instability

Maria Fantappie is a special advisor at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. Theorists of consociation argue that it is the best kind of democracy a plural society can expect: a power-sharing formula that accommodates leaders representing different segments of the population, thus preventing one group from dominating the others. As Saddam Hussein fell in 2003, […]

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Civil Society Governance & Law Middle East

Tribalism in Transition: Iraq’s Sunni Tribes Before, During and After the Islamic State – Part II

In this two-part series, author Alex Simon discusses the evolution and increasingly fragmented nature of Sunni tribalism in Iraq from the era of Ottoman occupation through the rise of the so-called Islamic State, and its implications for the future of the Iraqi polity.

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Civil Society Governance & Law Middle East

Tribalism in Transition: Iraq’s Sunni Tribes Before, During and After the Islamic State – Part I

In this two-part series, author Alex Simon discusses the evolution and increasingly fragmented nature of Sunni tribalism in Iraq from the era of Ottoman occupation through the rise of the so-called Islamic State, and its implications for the future of the Iraqi polity.

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Book Reviews Middle East Policy & Politics Security & Conflict

ISIS: The State of Terror

Richard Purcell, a SAIS alum and freelance writer covering international security affairs, reviews Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger’s new book, “ISIS: The State of Terror.”

Categories
Civil Society International Development Middle East Security & Conflict

Iraq’s Post-American Future: Requiem for an Occupation

In this three-part series, Nate Rosenblatt, a 2009 SAIS graduate, discusses his experience building an American-style university in Iraq. In the first part of the series, Nate looks back at the difficulties faced by the Americans during the occupation. In his subsequent posts, he reflects on the future of an independent Iraq, and examines the role that America might play in the wake of its $750 trillion dollar investment in Iraq’s future.