Iraq: Power, Institutions, and Identities

This book, published by Routledge Press in 2023 and authored by Andrew J. Flibbert, examines Iraqi politics from different dimensions. It starts with three key concepts that shape Iraqi politics: power, institutions and identities. Then, the book explains early Iraqi nation-building attempts after the First World War. At that time, Iraq was a state under British mandate and even though it formally gained its independence in 1932, it was not able to take decisions without the influence of Britain. Britain-installed King Faisal I realized the lack of Iraqi identity and put efforts to unite Iraqis as “one nation”. However, because of his weakly empowered monarchy, he had very limited success in terms of the creation of state institutions and a national sense of community. After Faisal I, King Ghazi, who ruled Iraq between 1933-1939, had the same fate as his father regarding his failure to create state institutions and an Iraqi identity. Later, Faisal II replaced King Ghazi at the age of three. However, he had little influence in Iraqi politics because of his age. His government was heavily influenced by the eight-time Prime Minister Nuri al-Sa’id. Just like his predecessor, he had almost no success in terms of creating an Iraqi identity and democratic state institutions. However, attempts of these leaders paved the way to build an Iraqi identity in the future, as in modern Iraq, Iraqi identity is an important bond in the society.