Baghdad’s Quest for National Accord Thwarted Internally
SWP Comment 2013/C 31, 16.09.2013, 8 Pages Research AreasIraq is at a critical juncture. A decade after the US-led invasion, the country faces intensifying power struggles, social divides, and recurring violence, and its population is weighed down by fear, distrust, and frustration. Aware of these formidable challenges, the political leadership has begun to turn toward culture, hoping that a reinvigoration of an integrative national identity can reunify Iraqi society and repair paralyzing ruptures among its constituents. Taking advantage of Baghdad’s celebration as the 2013 Capital of Arab Culture, the government is on a campaign to upgrade the country’s cultural infrastructure and to disseminate the leadership’s message, which promotes pluralism and calls for acceptance and inclusiveness. These attempts are currently compromised, however, by inseparable local and regional crises, the leadership’s implausible approach to culture, and the political system’s inherent flaws. European policy makers should support Iraq’s national reconciliation efforts, mostly through developing the country’s human capital and encouraging independent cross-community cultural initiatives.