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Power-Sharing in Iraq

Power-Sharing in Iraq. “Contract” between groups specify. the rights and responsibilities, political privileges, and access to resources of each group. Typical safeguards include:. political power-sharing arrangements; minority control over critical economic assets ; and

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Power-Sharing in Iraq

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  1. Power-Sharing in Iraq

  2. “Contract” between groups specify • the rights and responsibilities, • political privileges, and • access to resources of each group.

  3. Typical safeguards include: • political power-sharing arrangements; • minority control over critical economic assets; and • maintenance of group balance within the military or police forces.

  4. British administration (prior to 1958) • Since access to the military and political elite was largely denied to them, upward mobility for the Shi’a was achieved mainly through land accumulation or entrepreneurial activities. • In 1958 Shi’a Arabs comprised close to 50 percent of Iraq’s larges land owners, and 7 of Iraq’s 15 millionaires.

  5. The Republic (1958-1968) • A three-man Council of Sovereignty (essentially a collective presidency):each of Iraq’s three major groups – Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and Shi’a Arabs – were allocated seats. • Important political ally – the ICP – was a party that spanned the sectarian and ethnic divide • Real power did not reside in the Council of Sovereignty, the ICP, but with the military (i.e. the bastion of Sunni power).

  6. The Ba’ath regime (1968-) • a policy of affirmative action to incorporate more Shi’a into the governing structures; • The reinstitution of the Parliament; • Elections along regional lines; • While the political system as a whole became more representative of Iraq’s diversity over the period, real decision-making power became significantly more concentrated in the hands of Sunni

  7. The Kurdish problem March Manifesto (1970): • for the first time referred to the “autonomy” of the Kurds, • accepted the use of Kurdish languages in Kurdish-dominated areas, • guaranteed a share of wealth from the huge Kirkuk oil filed, • and promised to implement democracy (complete with elections) in Kurdistan.

  8. Shi’a opposition to the Ba’ath regime • Al-Dawah al Islamiyah (the Islamic Call), • The politicization of religion under the charismatic influence of leading cleric Muhammed Baqir-al-Sadr, • formation of the al-Badr Brigade, which began a guerilla battle against the Iraqi government.

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