KVB Tharoor on "Iraq: the politics of the local"

KVB Tharoor — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:16:08 +0000

An excellent and probing piece. One can't help but feel a little bit sorry for the central government; despite its own failings, it's been set up as a kind of straw man, meant to pave the way to its demise. How benignly should we read the American role in the various fractures of power in Iraq (local, regional)? How much do these fractures play into Washington's favour?

Iraq: the politics of the local, Charles Tripp

david hayes — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:11:47 +0000

Now that the first phase of the Iraqi civil war seems to have ended, it is time to consider the political processes it may have left in its bloody wake. It is crucial for Iraqis and others to get a sense of the stability and durability of present arrangements. Are they a mechanism for reconciling the ferocious enmities of the past five years in Iraq, or likely to lead to a more violent second phase of the civil war.

Charles Tripp is professor of middle east politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), University of London. Among his books are A History of Iraq (Cambridge University Press, new edition, 2007), and Islam and the Moral Economy: The Challenge of Capitalism (Cambridge University Press, 2006)

This article was first published in Le Monde Diplomatique (January 2008)

Read the rest of this post...

open Democracy News Analysis - Iraq: the politics of the local, Charles Tripp - Comments

KVB Tharoor on "Iraq: the politics of the local"

Iraq: the politics of the local, Charles Tripp