The Legacy of Iraq

'The volume is a must read for those interested in the developments that lead to the onslaught of ISIS across Iraq in 2014. It is a gold mine of meticulously researched and presented analysis of the key issues facing contemporary Iraq and of the legacies left behind by the American-led coalition after 2003.' Amatzia Baram, Director of the Centre for Iraq Studies, University of Haifa
'Benjamin Isakhan has assembled a fine collection of essays that provide context to the rise of the Islamic State. By considering the key legacies of the 2003 intervention and the subsequent occupation, this book documents the rise of sectarianism, sub-state dynamics, and the increased security concerns of neighbouring states and the international community.' Gareth Stansfield, Director of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
A timely examination of the complex factors that led to the crisis in Iraq and the rise of the 'Islamic State'
In March 2003, a US-led 'Coalition of the Willing' launched a pre-emptive intervention against Iraq. The war was driven by an ambitious plan to turn Iraq into a liberal democracy, underpinned by free-market capitalism and constituted by a citizen body free to live in peace and prosperity. However, the Iraq war did not go to plan and the coalition were forced to withdraw at the end of 2011, having failed to deliver on their promise of a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Newly available in paperback, The Legacy of Iraq seeks to not only reflect on this abject failure but to put forth the argument that key mistakes made by the coalition and the Iraqi political elite set in train a sequence of events that have had devastating consequences for Iraq, for the region and for the world. Today, as Iraq faces perhaps its greatest challenge with the devastating advance of the 'Islamic State' and another US-led coalition undertakes renewed military action in Iraq, understanding the complex and difficult legacies of the 2003 war could not be more urgent. Ignoring the legacies of the Iraq war and denying their connection to contemporary events could mean that vital lessons are not learned and the same mistakes are made.
Benjamin Isakhan is Associate Professor of Politics and Policy Studies and Director of the Middle East Studies Forum in the Alfred Deakin Institute at Deakin University, Australia. Ben is also Adjunct Senior Research Associate, Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Benjamin Isakhan is Associate Professor of Politics and Policy Studies and Director of the Middle East Studies Forum in the Alfred Deakin Institute at Deakin University, Australia. He is also Adjunct Senior Research Associate, Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and an Associate of the Sydney Democracy Network at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Democracy in Iraq: History, Politics and Discourse (Ashgate, 2012) and the editor of 6 books including The Edinburgh Companion to the History of Democracy (Edinburgh University Press, 2015 [2012]). Ben's current research includes a 3-year funded project entitled 'Measuring Heritage Destruction in Iraq and Syria'.

Part I: The Aftermath of War: Strategic Decisions and Catastrophic Mistakes 1.The De-Baathification of post-2003 Iraq: Purging the Past for Political Power Benjamin Isakhan 2. The Contested Politics of Iraq's Oil Wealth Philippe Le Billon 3. Torture at Abu Ghraib: Non-disclosure and Impunity Aloysia Brooks Part II: Iraqi Politics since Saddam 4.Shattering the Shia: A Maliki Political Strategy in Post-Saddam Iraq Benjamin Isakhan 5. The Dangerous Legacy of a Flawed Constitution: Resolving Iraq's Kurdish 'Problem' Liam Anderson 6. Between 'Aqalliya' and 'Mukawin': Understanding Sunni Political Attitudes in Post-Saddam Iraq Ronen Zeidel 7. Post-Withdrawal Prospects for Iraq's 'Ultra-Minorities' Nicholas Al-Jeloo Part III: The Plight of Iraqi Culture and Civil Society 8. Doing Democracy in Difficult Times: Oil Unions and the Maliki Government Benjamin Isakhan 9. 'If you are female, you risk being attacked': Digital Selves, Warblogs and Women's Rights in post-Invasion Iraq Perri Campbell and Luke Howie 10. The Impact of Coalition Military Operations on Archaeological Sites in Iraq Diane C. Siebrandt Part IV: Regional and International Consequences of the Iraq War 11. Ethnic Cleansing in Iraq: Internal and External Displacement Howard Adelman 12. The Shia Ascendency in Iraq and the Sectarian Polarisation of the Middle East Ranj Alaaldin 13. Humanitarian Intervention after Iraq: The Politics of Protection and Rescue Binoy Kampmark 14. Iraq, the Illusion of Security and the Limits to Power Joseph A. Camilleri Conclusion: The Iraq Legacies and the Roots of the 'Islamic State' Benjamin Isakhan Index