Paper
Yezid Sayigh
{
"authors": [
"Yezid Sayigh"
],
"type": "other",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Gulf",
"Iraq",
"Middle East"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform"
]
}
Source: Getty
Haidar al-‘Abadi’s First Year in Office: What Prospects For Iraq?
A year after his appointment, Iraqi prime minister Haidar al-‘Abadi continues to face an uphill struggle to build a politically inclusive and functionally viable state.
By Yezid Sayigh
Published on Sep 1, 2015
Source: Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Center
A year after his appointment Iraqi prime minister Haidar al-‘Abadi continues to face an uphill struggle to build a politically inclusive and functionally viable state. His success in pushing an ambitious reform plan through parliament on August 11th 2015 was an important step forward, but will prove inadequate without genuine political backing from the most powerful domestic and external actors involved in Iraq. These, however, remain focused almost exclusively on militarily defeating the Islamic State, and are not invested in effecting meaningful political reconciliation between the country’s Sunni and Shii Arab citizens, fully pursuing structural military and financial reforms, and ensuring the equitable delivery of crucial social services. As a result, the Iraqi state may have passed the point of no return.
About the Author
Yezid Sayigh
Senior Fellow, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Yezid Sayigh is a senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where he leads the program on Civil-Military Relations in Arab States (CMRAS). His work focuses on the comparative political and economic roles of Arab armed forces, the impact of war on states and societies, the politics of postconflict reconstruction and security sector transformation in Arab transitions, and authoritarian resurgence.
- Egypt’s Military Landlord Economy and its Limitations
- What Is Israel’s Plan in Lebanon?Commentary
Yezid Sayigh
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
- Turkmenistan’s Ruling Duo Is Having a Family Feud. Will Their Regime Survive It?Commentary
Ex-president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov remains interested in politics, but his son Serdar, Turkmenistan’s current president, is becoming increasingly independent and willing to break with his father’s legacy. If their covert rivalry goes too far, both risk losing power.
Galiya Ibragimova
- Europe’s Tide of Citizen Assemblies: Unsung Success or Anticlimax?Article
A notable degree of participative democracy has firmly arrived in Europe. But to have more far-reaching impact, democratic deliberation needs to move into a radically new phase.
Richard Youngs
- A Celebration or Funeral in Iraq?Commentary
As the U.S.-led Coalition withdraws, the Kurds’ reliance on Baghdad, and on themselves, will only increase.
Wladimir van Wilgenburg
- How the Kremlin Achieved Its Latest Implausible Election ResultsCommentary
Sergei Kiriyenko used Russia’s parliamentary vote to further hone his strategy of corporate mobilization that is designed to maximize votes for United Russia.
Andrey Pertsev
- The Uncomfortable Truth About EU EnlargementCommentary
Before the next wave of EU enlargement takes place, the union needs to grapple with thorny questions of how power is distributed among its members.
Emil Sondaj Hansen, Ditte Brasso Sørensen
