Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2017 Resisting Democratic Transition Through Terrorism: A Case Study of Post Saddam-Hussein Iraq Kellie Rourke Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Public Administration Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Kellie Rourke has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Joyce Haines, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Kevin Fandl, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Morris Bidjerano, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2017 Abstract Resisting Democratic Transition Through Terrorism: Case Study of Post-Saddam Hussein Iraq by Kellie S. Rourke MPA, Troy University, 2004 BS, Austin Peay State University, 1998 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University March 2017 Abstract Democracy building operations in foreign nations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been met with resistance and at great cost in terms of dollars and lives. Reducing these costs requires understanding why individuals choose to resist the transition to democracy, yet current research in the field does not address the issues of a previously nonviolent population turning to terrorism to resist transition to democracy.