The unravelling of the uncivil state: Iraq and the imposition of sectarian governance

The era of American hegemony over the Arab state system beginning in 1990 has witnessed the exhaustion of Arab nationalism, destruction of the republican states influenced by its formalized ideological praxis, and the routine denial of universal human rights and Arab self-determination. Of parallel concern to this humanitarian calamity, the period has been marked by the growth of militarized non-state actors and the promotion of sectarian political identities. These phenomena are the result of policy choices, often exercised by outside power, or local elites aligned with outside power, that have driven radicalization and subverted inter-communal comity, thwarting the potential for political legitimacy at the national level. When alloyed together these phenomena, fastened as they are to Pax Americana, delineate a chaos marked by the absence of political leadership at all levels. This chaos confronts both the few remaining regional actors continuing to manage functional state institutions and those who possess some measure of political legitimacy and who attempt statebuilding, with a necessary focus on bringing order beyond their domains. Building social comity and economic development in the absence of political institutions will require a regional solution that invites the participation of all actors and the redress of legitimate grievances. The alternative, whereby greater militarized intervention and increased radicalization exploit sectarian logics, will result in expanded humanitarian wreckage and the potential ruin of the remaining institutions of governance