Lessons of the Iraqi de-Ba'athification program for Iraq's future and the Arab revolutions
By: W. Andrew Terrill
Contributors: Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute
Series: Strategic Studies Institute monograph; SSI monograph
Publisher: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College; Strategic Studes Institute
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Carlisle, PA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 108
ISBN-13: 9781584875277
Subjects: Politics and government; Ḥizb al-Baʻth al-ʻArabī al-Ishtirākī (Iraq); Nation-building; Postwar reconstruction
Description: "This monograph considers both the future of Iraq and the differences and similarities between events in Iraq and the Arab Spring states. The author analyzes the nature of Iraqi de-Ba'athification and carefully evaluates the rationales and results of actions taken by both Americans and Iraqis involved in the process. While there are many differences between the formation of Iraq's post-Saddam Hussein government and the current efforts of some Arab Spring governing bodies to restructure their political institutions, it is possible to identify parallels between Iraq and Arab Spring countries. As in Iraq, new Arab Spring governments will have to apportion power, build or reform key institutions, establish political legitimacy for those institutions, and accommodate the enhanced expectations of their publics in a post-revolutionary environment. A great deal can go wrong in these circumstances, and any lessons that can be gleaned from earlier conflicts will be of considerable value to those nations facing these problems, as well as their regional and extra-regional allies seeking to help them. Moreover, officers and senior noncommissioned officers of the U.S. Army must realize that they may often have unique opportunities and unique credibility to offer advice on the lessons of Iraq to their counterparts in some of the Arab Spring nations."-- Publisher's website
Notes: "May 2012."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-108).

Also available online in PDF format from Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) web site. Adobe Acrobat Reader required.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The Ba'ath party as an instrument of Saddam Hussein's domination of Iraq; title: The de-Ba'athification order of May 16, 2003; title: Administration of the de-Ba'athification program; title: Military implications of de-Ba'athification; title: Efforts to reverse the excesses of de-Ba'athification; title: The "Accountability and Justice Act of 2008"; title: The continuing legacy of de-Ba'athification in Iraq; title: Evaluation of the Iraqi de-Ba'athification program; title: Parallels and differences between Iraq and the Arab revolutionary nations. Tunisia and Egypt; title: Libya; title: Syria; title: Yemen; title: Conclusion.