Suicide car bombing hit a crowded outdoor market in Baghdad's Sadr City, Iraq, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Karim Kadim /Press Association. All rights reserved.The United States (US) National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 is a watershed moment for US policy in Iraq. It finally takes on the federal elements of the Iraqi constitution and offers support for Sunnis and Kurds if fair redistribution is not pursued by the central government. Arguably, if the US had supported the 2005 Iraqi constitution and its federal elements from the beginning, rather than a centralised state, Iraq and its territorial integrity would not face the threat it does today.
In 2003 the US invaded Iraq – for various reasons – with a policy of regime change and ending authoritarianism in Iraq. Although mistakes were made with regards to post conflict planning, clear and consistent policy ideas remained. The 2005 Iraqi constitution recognised the Kurdish region as an autonomous federal entity and allowed for other federal regions to be created. Joe Biden, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, proposed creating Sunni and Shiite federal regions alongside the already established Kurdish region. However, this proposal was rejected by the US, and a strongly centralised state was continually promoted.
One step back
In January 2009 Barak Obama became US president; as part of his presidential campaign he had promised to end the war in Iraq and withdraw US troops. Obama’s desire to withdraw troops meant that he pursued policies of handing over security regardless of whether Iraqi officials were ready or not. This permitted the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to gain considerable power and control, which in turn allowed him to start disbanding the Sunni Sahwa forces – who were responsible for all but defeating al-Qaida in Iraq and helping to end the civil war – without properly integrating them within the state’s systems.
