Abstract
This single case study aims ‘to develop and test a theory which seeks to integrate the phenomenon of ethnicity/ethnic conflict, state-building and external intervention’ (i.e. UN-authorised military-humanitarian intervention) in post-colonial states in the post-Cold War era (p. 3). It focuses on the uprisings in Iraq in the spring of 1991, their subsequent repression, and the UN-backed coalition of states’ response to these events. The purpose is to demonstrate ‘the relationship between intervention in ethnic conflicts and the state-building process’ (p. 214).
The case study mainly confirms the proposed thesis, which is that external intervention in ethnic conflict interferes with statebuilding processes ‘by preserving artificial state boundaries and preventing the forcible consolidation of state boundaries’ (p. 225). However, the study's findings also reveal a ‘muddled picture’ with respect to the Iraqi case. The long-term intervention had complex outcomes: it became a source of political uncertainty and instability in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. This is because the coalition states insisted on a de facto autonomous Kurdistan region remaining part of the Iraqi state while, at the same time, ‘refusing to allow either the regime in Bagdad or the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government to exercise full sovereignty over this area’ (p. 215). Although the Iraqi government retained ‘de jure sovereignty’ over the Kurdistan region, intervention in the shape of long-term humanitarian assistance and the establishment of a northern no-fly zone effectively prevented the Iraqi government from exercising control in that region (p. 215).
The author's realist approach to statebuilding processes and critical analysis of Iraq's political history enable him to identify some key ethno-political (internal) and geopolitical (regional) factors that have impeded the successful consolidation of the Iraqi state since its creation by Britain in the early 1920s. However, the study's excessive focus on the conflictual dimension of intercommunal interactions within postcolonial states leads it to overlook the positive outcomes which Iraq's federal experience have achieved so far – e.g. the peaceful coexistence of, and growing cooperative relations between, the governments of Iraq and Kurdistan. This leaves ample room for counter-arguments.
Nevertheless, by focusing on communities, the study provides a view of Iraq's ethno-political realities that overcomes the limitations of official histographies and their tendency to recount post-colonial state development from the perspective of politically dominant ethnic/sectarian communities. This helps students of Middle East politics to understand better the historical roots of contemporary challenges to statebuilding processes and UN-led peace keeping operations/humanitarian-military interventions in post-colonial states in general, and in Middle Eastern states in particular.
We welcome short reviews of books in all areas of politics and international relations. For guidelines on submitting reviews, and to see an up-to-date listing of books available for review, please visit http://www.politicalstudiesreview.org/.