A country divided the impacts of fragmented communities on Iraq's government

Download
Author
Hubbard, Andrew P.
Date
2007-09Advisor
Kadhim, Abbas
Second Reader
Nasr, Vali
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This thesis seeks to answer the question What effect do Iraq's fragmented communities have on the government s ability to consolidate control in the country? To answer this question, this thesis examines three underlying factors, essentially on the three levels of analysis (individual, communal, and state): first, why Iraqis are more loyal to their communities than to the central government; second, how the political militias in Iraq affect the security situation in the country (both adversely and positively), and lastly examines how Iraqi politics impacts the government's ability to consolidate control over the country. Although seemingly obvious, this thesis brings to light the role that militias play in everyday life, how deeply entrenched into Iraqi society they have become, and explains why they cannot be simply wished away, as some U.S. policymakers would like to believe. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the likelihood of U.S. success with the surge and what its impact on Iraq,s Sunni and Shia militias is, some U.S. policy recommendations, and lastly some thoughts on democratization as a U.S. grand strategy.
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
The Muslim Secessionist Movement in the Philippines: issues and prospects
Domingo, Ruben G. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 1995-06);The Muslim Secessionist Movement in Southern Philippines was for a time the most serious threat to the stability of the country. It started in the late 1960s with the formation of the Muslim Independence Movement. In ... -
Budgetary Priorities in a Crisis State: Shifts in Iranian Government Allocations
Looney, Robert E. (1991);The ability of the Iranian economy to provide viable jobs for the country's rapidly growing population will, in the long run, be largely dependent on the ability of the country to upgrade its stock of human capital. An ... -
From Tragedy to Success in Colombia: The Centrality of Effectiveness in Civil-Military Relations
Bruneau, Thomas C.; Goetze, Richard B. Jr. (2019-07);In the late 1990s, Colombia was considered by many to be a failed state due to endemic crime, pervasive violence, and nation-wide terrorism that resulted in the displacement of the rural population and, due to rampant ...