News & Events
ARTICLE: The state’s reduced role in post-2003 Iraq
March 20, 2024
THE NATIONAL: Something new and different is happening in Iraq that most international commentators with an interest in the country appear to be missing. Society is now, for the most part, out of the state’s control and is charting its own destiny, in ways that are now unpredictable.
Since 2003, Iraq-watchers and analysts have been consumed with the same concerns, chief among which is Iran’s influence. According to one view that is dominating western commentary on Iraq, the government is now firmly under the control of Iranian-aligned militia that is in the process of dragging the country firmly into Tehran’s orbit. Others still have been arguing that the government is reasserting control and moving the country more towards a neutral position in international affairs.