Paper
Paul Salem
{
"authors": [
"Paul Salem"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
"programAffiliation": "",
"programs": [],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Gulf"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
U.S. Leaves Behind a Sectarian Iraq
Eight years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq is veering towards a "Lebanonization" of its political system, with power permanently distributed along strict ethnic and sectarian lines.
By Paul Salem
Published on Dec 22, 2011
Source: USA Today. December 22
Speaking to AFP News Carnegie's Paul Salem explained that politics in Iraq today are mobilized according to religious and ethnic communities. With the upcoming U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, Salem reflected on U.S. efforts to build democracy in the country and the challenges that Iraq now faces. Washington "made very grave mistakes" and even worsened the country's situation, Salem contended. He explained that the United States is not familiar with deeply divided societies and power sharing systems, so it failed to establish a prosperous and safe democracy in Iraq. Despite this failure to build a stable state, he argued that the situation is not a total lost cause, because the Iraqi people have an opportunity to build from what they already have and move forward.
About the Author
Paul Salem
Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute
Paul Salem is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.
- Iraq’s Tangled Foreign Interests and Relations
- Bracing for Impact in SyriaArticle
Paul Salem
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Leaving Russian-Speakers Without Representation Is a Risk for LatviaCommentary
If the Russian-speaking community in Latvia cannot articulate their interests without being seen as disloyal, they could end up embracing a pro-Kremlin agenda.
Sergejs Potapkins
- Putin Has Been a Hindrance, Not a Help, to United Russia’s Election CampaignCommentary
Russia’s ruling party would have benefited from Putin appearing as its distant patron, but as an active frontman imposing his views on the public, he has done nothing but harm both the party’s election campaign and the ruling system overall.
Andrey Pertsev
- Ten Years After Karimov’s Death, How Much Has Uzbekistan Really Changed?Commentary
In the tenth year of his presidency, President Mirziyoyev’s system is becoming even more personalized than that of his predecessor Karimov.
Galiya Ibragimova
- Less of America is MoreCommentary
Middle Eastern states should welcome an accelerated U.S. disengagement from their region.
Michael Young
- As a Former Defense Minister Revolts in Ukraine, Is Zelensky’s System Fracturing?Commentary
The greater threat to Zelensky comes not from Fedorov alone, but from the convergence between the former defense minister’s political campaign and the anti-corruption investigations moving ever closer to the presidential administration.
Balázs Jarábik
