Reconstructing Post-Saddam Iraq / Edition 1

by Sultan Barakat

Overview

Previously published as a special issue of Third World Quarterly, this volume seeks to analyze to what extent the controversial US policy of democratizing the Middle East with pre-emptive invasions was justified or effective.

Post 9/11 the US developed a policy of War on Terror, taking the decision to democratize the Middle East with pre-emptive invasions in both Afghanistan and Iraq. As Barakat puts it "Iraq was deliberately de-constructed in order to be reconstructed in a new model."

Looking not only at the evidence of democracy post-invasion, the author also considers the global, regional and internal politics leading up to the decision to invade. The effect is an insightful and vital volume that fulfils an urgent need and seeks to answer the questions most troubling the international community since the invasion of Iraq.

• Were the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan an exploitation of military supremacy to secure a favourable balance of power for the US?
• Is it possible to build a stable democracy after a pre-emptive invasion?
• What is the current outlook for a stable democracy in Iraq?

Reconstructing Post-Saddam Iraq is vital reading for all those interested in international politics and the future in Iraq.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415413718
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/16/2007
Series:	ThirdWorlds
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sultan Barakat is a Professor of Politics at the University of York.'

Table of Contents

1. Reconstructing Post-Saddam Iraq: An Introduction 2. Post-Saddam Iraq: Deconstructing a Regime, Reconstructing a Nation 3. Iraq: Fulcrum of World Politics 4. Whither Iraq? Beyond Saddam, Sanctions and Occupation 5. Iraqi Kurdistan: Contours of a Post-Civil War Society 6. Divisible Sovereignty and the Reconstruction of Iraq 7. Iraq, Imperialism and Global Governance 8. Corruption, Reconstruction and Oil Governance in Iraq 9. Iraqi Transitions: From Regime Change to State Collapse 10. The Prospects for Democracy in Iraq: Challenges and Opportunities 11. Reconstructing Gender: Iraqi Women between Dictatorship, War, Sanctions and Occupation 12. Reconstruction of Infrastructure in Iraq: End to a Means or Means to an End? 13. Overcoming Dilemmas Created by the 21st Century Mercenaries: Conceptualising the Use of Private Security Companies in Iraq 14. Lessons and Controversies: Planning and Executing Immediate Relief in the Aftermath of the War in Iraq 15. War and the Cultural Heritage of Iraq: A Sadly Mismanaged Affair 16. Attributing Value: Evaluating Success and Failure in Post-War Reconstruction