Who are the elite groups in Iraq and how do they exercise power?

This review summarises the post-2003 processes that structure the nature of Iraqi politics today

Abstract

The 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq transformed Iraq’s political settlement by ejecting the previous elites from power and by initiating state-building processes with previously marginalised elites and different governance principles. Iraq’s current day elites and institutions are the inheritors of that process. This review summarises the post-2003 processes that structure the nature of Iraqi politics today, it then explains how elites exercise power within these processes, and who those elites are.

K4D helpdesk reports provide summaries of current research, evidence and lessons learned. This report was commissioned by the UK Department for International Development

Citation

Herbert, S. (2018). Who are the elite groups in Iraq and how do they exercise power? K4D Helpdesk Report. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies.

Who are the elite groups in Iraq and how do they exercise power?

Updates to this page

Published 30 June 2018