International Studies 164: Iraq Reconstruction

International Studies 164: Iraq Reconstruction cross listed as Political Science 159: Iraq Reconstruction Iraq is an in-conflict country. Its people live under foreign occupation and experience daily confrontations and hostilities. The country is politically unstable, nationally fragmented, and deeply divided along sectarian lines. The involvement of Iraq in several wars since 1979, thirteen years of international sanctions, and its occupation by the U.S. and its allies since April 2003 have left a physically ravaged and socially fragmented country. In this context, Iraq represents in-conflict countries such as Afghanistan, where conflict prevails and determines the social, political, and economic life of the country and its people. The main objectives of this course are as follows: To provide a brief political history of Iraq; To analyze the prospects of Iraq’s economic development; To discuss the effects of external interventions on Iraqi society; To offer students theoretical and practical tools to understand the politics behind grand projects of post-conflict and in-conflict countries reconstructing and nation-building; To present and discuss in depth diverse perspectives on the reconstruction of Iraq through a variety of lenses.