• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Article

Iraq's Constitutional Conundrum

Link Copied
By Nathan J. Brown
Published on Sep 2, 2005

Additional Links

Full Text (PDF)
Program mobile hero image

Program

Democracy, Conflict, and Governance

The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and governance. It analyzes and seeks to improve international efforts to reduce democratic backsliding, mitigate conflict and violence, overcome political polarization, promote gender equality, and advance pro-democratic uses of new technologies.

Learn More
Program mobile hero image

Program

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

Learn More

The Iraqi Parliament was presented with a draft of the country’s permanent constitution on August 28, almost two weeks after the original August 15 deadline.  In his latest commentary on Iraq’s constitutional process, Nathan Brown analyzes the legal shortcomings of the process, the failure to achieve consensus, and the impact of the draft on the prospects for peaceful political reconstruction in Iraq.

About the Author

Nathan J. Brown

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, is a distinguished scholar and author of nine books on Arab politics and governance, as well as editor of five books.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    Old Wine in New Battles

      Nathan J. Brown

  • Commentary
    In the Trump Gaza Plan, Diplomatic Failure is Success

      Nathan J. Brown

Nathan J. Brown
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Nathan J. Brown

Additional Links

Full Text (PDF)
Middle EastIraqPolitical ReformDemocracy

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

  • Three men talking and laughing
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Mecca Pact and the Limits of American Guarantees

    Why Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are joining forces on regional security.

      Alper Coşkun, Amr Hamzawy

  • People gather during protest on January 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.
    Paper
    The Political Economy of Protests in Iran

    Protests in Iran follow a similar pattern: Economic grievances turn into political protests that spread nationwide. But increased state repression has begun to shift the arrangement.

      • Eric Lob

      Eric Lob

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    How the Latest Election Changed the Role of Russia’s Parliament

    Putin’s conservative staffing policies and search for ever greater control have cemented parliament’s transformation into a bureaucratic appendage of the executive branch.

      Andrey Pertsev

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Turkmenistan’s Ruling Duo Is Having a Family Feud. Will Their Regime Survive It?

    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

  • European Union EU democracy Parliament citizens assembly
    Article
    Europe’s Tide of Citizen Assemblies: Unsung Success or Anticlimax?

    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

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.