Iraq: A Case Study in Nation Building

Abstract: This essay examines Iraq as a case study in nation-building. The purpose is to give the reader a thorough understanding of what nation-building is, the situation in Iraq since the U.S. invasion, and how the two (nation-building and Iraq) go together. The theory for the empirical analysis is built upon the three concepts of ideological legitimation, social integration, and state-building. The roles of security, justice and reconciliation, social and economic well-being, and governance and participation and their relevance to the nation-building effort in Iraq are also explored. The thesis is divided into three main sections. The first section covers the most important elements involved in nation-building and provides a brief history of it since World War II. The second section gives a thorough overview of the Iraq conflict and the primary actors involved (United States, Shi?a Arab, Sunni Arab, and Kurds). The third section integrates the first two in order to provide an empirical case study of nation-building in Iraq. I then discuss my conclusions. The intended effect is to give the reader an understanding of the intricacies of the nation-building effort in Iraq, and open up debate for what the continuing nation-building effort there will require in order to be successful. The material used is composed of a large amount of literary, journal, and internet sources, the majority of which were written after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.