Paper
Paul Salem
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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.
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