1st Edition
Iraqi Federalism and the Kurds Learning to Live Together
Iraq today faces a whole gamut of problems associated with post-war recovery and state-rebuilding compounded by age old mistrust and suspicion. The situation in Iraq resembles a huge experiment in which social scientists can observe the consequences of actions taken across an entire country. Can Western ideas take route and flourish in non-western societies? Can constitutionalism take hold and work in a traditional religious and deeply divided society? Is Iraqi federalism a solution to the country’s severe disunity or a temporary fix? Iraqi Federalism and the Kurds: Learning to Live Together addresses these important questions and focuses on the role of federalism as a viable solution to Iraq's many problems and the efforts the Kurdish government has deployed to adjust to new federal relations that entail not only gains, but also concessions and compromises. The author's direct experience of living and working within this embattled country allows a unique reflection on the successes and failures of federalism and the positive developments the introduction of federal relationships have brought.
Iraqi Federalism and the Kurds
Biography
Alex Danilovich is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Kurdistan-Hawler, Iraq. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Southern Illinois University, USA.
’As a consequence of the US intervention in Iraq, Kurdish autonomous provinces have contributed actively to a de facto ethno-federalism analyzed here for the first time in a remarkable scholarly study by Alex Danilovich.’ Gérard Chaliand, Nanyang University, Singapore ’Putting forward a bold and vigorous case for a federal solution to Iraq’s current social and political fragmentation Danilovich is under no illusions as to the problems and pitfalls to be encountered, and indeed transcended, if Iraq as a state is to survive. This book will raise a few heckles in some quarters perhaps, but it is nonetheless an honest attempt by a well-informed outsider to weigh the possibilities calmly and dispassionately. To those lay readers not directly involved in Iraq and its problems, it is certainly a refreshing antidote to the notion of Iraq’s future as an endless cortege of funerals and car bombs.’ Nigel M. Greaves, University of Kurdistan Hawler, Iraq ’This timely book provides a thorough, systematic and detailed appreciation of an ever-sensitive issue. Valuable on-the-spot insight is combined with sober and lucid academic analysis of a high order. Anyone seeking an accessible and penetrating understanding of the structures, the core issues, and the condition of contemporary Baghdad-Kurdish relations will be well-advised to consult this book.’ James H. Wyllie, University of Aberdeen, UK ’Whether federalism can successfully prevent deeply-divided countries from breaking apart is one of the central questions of the contemporary era. Through a thoroughly-researched in-depth analysis of the Kurdish case, this book makes a significant contribution to scholarship on the territorial-political impact of federalism and post-conflict reconstruction in Iraq.’ Lawrence M. Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, USA
