From its construction by the British from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in 1921, the Iraqi state has had a turbulent history: disparate sectarian loyalties, ethnic divides, procrustean dictatorships, persistent tension between revolutionary and status-quo forces, and extra-regional intrusion in the affairs of the country. Yet, in the midst of this seeming chronic instability, the Iraqi ‘state’ proved to be remarkably resilient.  

The first part of the course (August 23-October 25) focuses on the historical development of the state and its political institutions. The Iraqi state has gone through four historical periods, each of which was defined by a set of political institutions: the relative liberalism of the monarchical period, 1921-58, the authoritarianism of the republican phase, 1958-68, the totalitarianism of the Ba’thist/Saddamist era, 1968-2003, and the efforts to create democracy in the post-Saddam period. A thorough understanding of the country’s political development sets the stage for the more individualized second part of the course.

The second part of the course (November1-December 6) focuses on institutional developments in the contemporary period, particularly on the efforts to establish a workable and sustainable democratic structure. There are no set topics for this part of the course; instead, students will be tasked to research various aspects of the democratic process, representing the myriad of ethnic, sectarian, secular and gender-based interests and concerns. Every week a group of students will present data and analyses drawn from their individual research to the class for discussion. The object of the exercise is to monitor political developments, follow the ideational discourse, and assess the progress and direction of the democratic process. What should make this an exciting endeavor is that it would parallel similar activities occurring in Iraq itself as the country debates its post-Saddam constitution and prepares for its first free general elections.