Commentary
Nathan J. Brown
REQUIRED IMAGE
Article
The Final Draft of the Iraqi Constitution: Analysis and Commentary
Published on Sep 13, 2005
Iraq’s new draft constitution, originally due on August 15, is finally scheduled to go to the printing presses so that it can be distributed throughout the country. The final text addresses some of the difficult issues—such as federalism, women's rights, religion, and the country's identity—while sidestepping or even complicating many others. The country's voters will head to the polls on October 15 to decide whether to accept or reject the controversial document.
Nathan J. Brown, an authority on Arab constitutions, has been closely following the drafting process and offers a detailed, article-by-article commentary on the proposed constitution. Brown explores how the document would change Iraqi politics and what loopholes and gaps still remain. He identifies the many questions the constitution simply postpones, how it is likely to lead to a fairly loose confederation rather than a tighter federal structure, and how its rights provisions are far less revolutionary than has been claimed.
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.
- In the Trump Gaza Plan, Diplomatic Failure is Success
- Looking Past the Wall on Palestine-IsraelCommentary
Nathan J. Brown
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 Russia Eurasia Center
- Russia’s Rubber-Stamp Duma Elections Are Exposing Schisms in Putin's RegimeCommentary
In the discussions made possible by the State Duma election campaign, one question is being asked more and more loudly. “What next?”
Andrey Pertsev
- Russia Is Approaching a Political CrossroadsCommentary
Two divergent trends—Putin’s hardline vision of how to prosecute the war in Ukraine, and a growing desire for change in Russia—could tear the regime apart.
Tatiana Stanovaya
- Control Above Reform: What’s Behind Ukraine’s Government and Security Reshuffle?Commentary
Ultimately, Zelensky sided neither with the reform camp nor with the military establishment as such, but with political control.
Balázs Jarábik
- Where Are President Tokayev’s Political Reforms Leading Kazakhstan?Commentary
Tokayev’s predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev, outlined arrangements for a power transition too soon and in too much detail, ultimately losing control over the process. Tokayev is determined not to meet the same fate.
Temur Umarov
- Parliamentary Elections in Occupied Ukraine Risk Backfiring for the KremlinCommentary
Despite unhappiness on the ground, Moscow is determined to use both carrot and stick to ensure there is record support for United Russia in occupied Ukraine.
Konstantin Skorkin
