Davis 409al-siyāsa], such as those under the Hashimite monarchy between 1921
and 1958; or by corporatist forms of political organization dominated
by an authoritarian ruler, such as emerged under ‘Abd al-Karim Qasim
(1958–1963), and subsequent Arab nationalist and Ba‘thist regimes. One
of the main problems of Iraqi society has resided not only in the inability
of Iraqis to agree upon a common definition of political community, but
also in the continued disjuncture between a vibrant civil society and pub-
lic sphere, on the one hand, and a weak and ineffectual state on the other.
e problem of the lack of state capacity and weak legitimacy Th
came to a head after the overthrow of Saddam Husayn’s Ba‘thist regime
in 2003. In the wake of the Ba‘thist regime’s fall, Iraq has experienced
severe political instability, which has raised serious doubts about the pos-
sibility of creating a democratic polity. The violence plaguing Iraq since
2003 has been caused, in large measure, by the fear of different groups,
defined not only ethnically but also in terms of social class, region, age
and political background, that they will be denied access to political par-
ticipation and economic opportunity in the “new Iraq.” This problem has
been exacerbated by the self-conscious destruction of most aspects of
civil society by the Ba‘thist regime during its rule between 1968 and 2003
and the lack of development of any political institutional infrastructure
that would provide the framework for establishing a democratic polity.
If to an ineffectual central state we add a dysfunctional economy with
unemployment rates reaching 60 to 70 percent, especially among youth
who constitute over 60 percent of the population under age 25; exten-
sive corruption in the Iraqi government, particularly in the distribution
of Iraq’s oil wealth; and the penetration of government ministries, such
as the powerful Ministry of Interior, by sectarian forces, then it is not
surprising that democracy has faced difficulties in finding fertile soil in
post-Ba‘thist Iraq.
The public sphere and Islam as “invented tradition”
These considerations are especially important when we consider the dis-
torted understandings of Islam that have been promoted by Sunni insur-
gent organizations and Shi‘i militias in Iraq. The ideas being disseminated