Looking Into Iraq

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Looking Into Iraq Chaillot Paper July 2005 n°79 Looking into Iraq Martin van Bruinessen, Jean-François Daguzan, Andrzej Kapiszewski, Walter Posch and Álvaro de Vasconcelos Edited by Walter Posch cc79-cover.qxp 28/07/2005 15:27 Page 2 Chaillot Paper Chaillot n° 79 In January 2002 the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) beca- Looking into Iraq me an autonomous Paris-based agency of the European Union. Following an EU Council Joint Action of 20 July 2001, it is now an integral part of the new structures that will support the further development of the CFSP/ESDP. The Institute’s core mission is to provide analyses and recommendations that can be of use and relevance to the formulation of the European security and defence policy. In carrying out that mission, it also acts as an interface between European experts and decision-makers at all levels. Chaillot Papers are monographs on topical questions written either by a member of the ISS research team or by outside authors chosen and commissioned by the Institute. Early drafts are normally discussed at a semi- nar or study group of experts convened by the Institute and publication indicates that the paper is considered Edited by Walter Posch Edited by Walter by the ISS as a useful and authoritative contribution to the debate on CFSP/ESDP. Responsibility for the views expressed in them lies exclusively with authors. Chaillot Papers are also accessible via the Institute’s Website: www.iss-eu.org cc79-Text.qxp 28/07/2005 15:36 Page 1 Chaillot Paper July 2005 n°79 Looking into Iraq Martin van Bruinessen, Jean-François Daguzan, Andrzej Kapiszewski, Walter Posch and Álvaro de Vasconcelos Edited by Walter Posch Institute for Security Studies European Union Paris cc79-Text.qxp 28/07/2005 15:36 Page 2 Institute for Security Studies European Union 43 avenue du Président Wilson 75775 Paris cedex 16 tel.: +33 (0)1 56 89 19 30 fax: +33 (0)1 56 89 19 31 e-mail: [email protected] www.iss-eu.org Director: Nicole Gnesotto © EU Institute for Security Studies 2005. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the EU Institute for Security Studies. ISSN 1017-7566 ISBN 92-9198-075-7 Published by the EU Institute for Security Studies and printed in Condé-sur-Noireau (France) by Corlet Imprimeur. Graphic design by Claire Mabille (Paris). cc79-Text.qxp 28/07/2005 15:36 Page 3 Contents n°79 July 2005 Préface Nicole Gnesotto 5 Introduction 7 Walter Posch The Iraqi elections and their consequences. Power-sharing, 1 a key to the country’s political future 13 Andrzej Kapiszewski • Electoral rules 13 • Political groupings’ participation in the elections. Security problems 14 • Election results 15 • Views on the elections 17 • Post-election dynamics: the formation of the new government 19 • The challenges ahead 21 2 A majority ignored: the Arabs in Iraq 25 Walter Posch • US policy: how to cope with anarchy 26 • Political Islam fills the security and policy gap – somehow 28 • Shias and Sunnis 30 • The insurgency 35 • Transforming the insurgency 41 3 Kurdish challenges 45 Martin van Bruinessen • Kurdish autonomy 45 • Autonomy, integration into Iraq, or independence? 47 • Kirkuk, the Turkmen and Turkey 49 • Kirkuk after the war 56 • Turkey, Iran, Syria and their proxies 59 • The PKK 62 • Reopening the Mosul file 64 • Who controls the Kurdish region? 66 • Maps 69 cc79-Text.qxp 28/07/2005 15:36 Page 4 Contents 4 Partir sans partir : quelle politique des Etats-Unis à l’égard de l’Irak ? 73 Jean-François Daguzan • Quelle constitution pour l’Irak d’après-guerre ? 74 • Les options américaines après le référendum 78 • Conséquences régionales 81 • Le retour du « printemps arabe » et du « printemps américain » ? 84 5 The EU and Iraq 87 Álvaro de Vasconcelos • A common view of the Iraq crisis? 88 6 Conclusion: a weak state in the making 95 Walter Posch • The west Asian crisis 96 • Strengthening the state and democracy in Iraq 98 • Prospects 100 Annexes 105 • About the authors 105 • Abbreviations 106 • Overview of known insurgent groups 107 • Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 114 • EU-US Declaration of Support for the People of Iraq, 26 June 2004 129 • Council Joint Action of 7 March 2005 on the European Union Integrated Rule of Law Mission for Iraq, EUJUST LEX 132 • Iraq International Conference, 22 June 2005 143 cc79-Text.qxp 28/07/2005 15:36 Page 5 Préface Nicole Gnesotto lus de deux ans après l’intervention américaine contre Saddam Hussein, l’Irak reste l’objet de toutes les inquiétudes : les élections Pdu 30 janvier 2005, la visite du président Bush en Europe quelques semaines plus tard avaient ouvert une fenêtre d’opportunité pour la sta- bilisation politique intérieure du pays et la mise en sourdine des profondes divergences occidentales issues de l’intervention militaire américaine en Irak. Six mois plus tard, la violence quotidienne, l’inflation du nombre des victimes, les introuvables processus de réconciliation politique, sur fond de reprise des activités terroristes internationales, alimentent les spéculations les plus catastrophiques sur l’avenir irakien. L’évolution de l’ensemble de la région, du Golfe à l’Afghanistan, de l’Iran au conflit israélo-palestinien, ne nourrit guère non plus l’optimisme sur l’avancée de la démocratie, le rétablissement des processus de paix, l’intégration économique et la réconciliation politique à l’échelle régionale. Plus que jamais, cette zone reste celle de toutes les inconnues et d’un risque majeur pour l’avenir de la stabilité internationale. Plus que jamais, les contextes politiques intérieurs, les rapports de force politique et/ou religieux, les héritages historiques nationaux, bref, les spécificités locales de chaque zone de crise doivent être analysées pour tenter de comprendre, et peut- être d’enrayer les différentes dynamiques destructrices à l’œuvre dans la région. A commencer par l’Irak. Au-delà des stratégies plus ou moins claires décidées par les acteurs extérieurs, l’analyse du terrain irakien, de ses com- posantes politiques, religieuses, ethniques, démographiques est un défi de plus en plus complexe mais de plus en plus indispensable pour tenter d’éva- luer, le plus objectivement possible, les scénarios de développements possi- bles de la crise irakienne. Et tel est bien l’objet de ce Cahier de Chaillot. Sous la responsabilité de Walter Posch, chargé de recherche à l’Institut, les meilleurs experts européens ont été sollicités pour tenter cette descente en profondeur dans les ressorts de la société irakienne : le nationalisme est-il plus structurant que les allégeances religieuses ou ethniques ? L’affronte- ment entre Chiites et Sunnites est-il la grille de lecture principale ? Quelles sont les bases des mouvements d’insurrection politique et/ou criminelle ? 5 cc79-Text.qxp 28/07/2005 15:36 Page 6 Préface Que veulent les Kurdes et quels sont les enjeux de la question du Kurdis- tan ? Comment la présence militaire américaine influence-t-elle cette alchimie irakienne ? Telles sont les questions, difficiles mais essentielles, auxquelles ce Cahier de Chaillot a choisi de donner la priorité sur les tra- ditionnelles grilles d’analyse stratégiques du conflit irakien. L’extrême fluidité des événements sur le terrain, l’imprévisibilité de la violence et de ses effets politiques, dans un contexte régional lui-même emprunt de multiples incertitudes, sont autant de facteurs qui rendent bien évidemment difficile une anticipation à peu près rationnelle de l’évo- lution de l’Irak. Pour autant, des échéances nationales ont été fixées – notamment l’adoption de la nouvelle Constitution avant le 15 août 2005 ; des engagements ont été pris par la communauté internationale, notam- ment l’Union européenne, en termes d’aide à la reconstruction politique et économique du pays. Aider les Irakiens à prévenir leur propre chaos est sans doute la seule tâche sensée que l’on puisse se fixer aujourd’hui. Sans illusions certes, mais sans renoncement. Paris, juillet 2005 6 cc79-Text.qxp 28/07/2005 15:36 Page 7 Introduction Looking into Iraq Walter Posch The political situation in Iraq continued to be a dominating factor in the international arena throughout the year 2004 and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Two years after George W. Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq, the country is still far from stable and its further transformation towards a ‘secured, dem- ocratic, unified and prosperous country, at peace with itself, its neighbours and with the wider world’, as stated in the EU-US Dro- moland Castle declaration1 (which has been reiterated by the EU on several occasions since), seems far from being accomplished. A fierce insurgency is still hampering the reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure and the development of the political process. It is also engaging Coalition and Iraqi armed forces and ter- rorising the population. On the other hand, success, however lim- ited, cannot be denied: on 30 January 2005 Iraqis resisted terror threats and cast their ballots to elect a Transitional Assembly in most provinces of the country and a new government was inaugurated by the end of March 2005. The tasks are challenging, though, even with- out the precarious security situation: the National Assembly has to draft and vote on a constitution no later than 15 August 2005, a ref- erendum on the constitution is scheduled for 15 October 2005 and new elections will follow on 15 December 2005.2 In all this, interna- tional support is important, maybe essential, but Iraq’s destiny lies as much with the international community as it does with its people and its leaders’ ability to overcome ethnic and sectarian divisions and make Iraq a functioning state.
Recommended publications
  • Community Rights Assessment Report Fourth Edition
    COMMUNITY RIGHTS ASSESSMENT REPORT FOURTH EDITION NOVEMBER, 2015 Cover photograph: OSCE/Šehida Miftari, March 2015 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe MISSION IN KOSOVO Community Rights Assessment Report Fourth Edition November, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 5 1. INTER-COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ..................................................................................................... 6 Inter-ethnic dialogue and dealing with the past ................................................................................ 6 Education and dialogue ...................................................................................................................... 7 2. SECURITY AND JUSTICE SYSTEM ..................................................................................................... 9 Security trends and responses ............................................................................................................ 9 Rule of Law ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Property rights and reduction of backlog ......................................................................................... 13 Access to Justice ..............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Turkey and Iraq: the Perils (And Prospects) of Proximity
    UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE www.usip.org SPECIAL REPORT 1200 17th Street NW • Washington, DC 20036 • 202.457.1700 • fax 202.429.6063 ABOUT THE REPORT I RAQ AND I TS N EIGHBORS Iraq’s neighbors are playing a major role—both positive and negative—in the stabilization and reconstruction of “the new Iraq.” As part of the Institute’s “Iraq and Henri J. Barkey Its Neighbors” project, a group of leading specialists on the geopolitics of the region and on the domestic politics of the individual countries is assessing the interests and influence of the countries surrounding Iraq. In addition, these specialists are examining how Turkey and Iraq the situation in Iraq is impacting U.S. bilateral relations with these countries. Henri Barkey’s report on Turkey is the first in a series of USIP special reports on “Iraq The Perils (and Prospects) of Proximity and Its Neighbors” to be published over the next few months. Next in the series will be a study on Iran by Geoffrey Kemp of the Nixon Center. The “Iraq and Its Neighbors” project is directed by Scott Lasensky of the Institute’s Research and Studies Program. For an overview of the topic, see Phebe Marr and Scott Lasensky, “An Opening at Sharm el-Sheikh,” Beirut Daily Star, November 20, 2004. Henri J. Barkey is the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen Professor of international relations at Lehigh University. He served as a member of the U.S. State Department Policy Planning Staff (1998–2000), working primarily on issues related to the Middle East, the eastern Mediterranean, and intelligence matters.
    [Show full text]
  • Organising and Contesting the 2017 Kurdish Referendum on Independence: Political Opportunities, Mobilisation Structures and Framing Processes in Iraqi- Kurdistan
    Organising and Contesting the 2017 Kurdish Referendum on Independence: Political Opportunities, Mobilisation Structures and Framing Processes in Iraqi- Kurdistan Tim Bogers 5506727 Utrecht University 2 August 2019 A Thesis submitted to the Board of Examiners in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in Conflict Studies & Human Rights Supervisor: dr. Chris van der Borgh Date of submission: 2 August 2019 Program trajectory: Research and Thesis Writing (30 ECTS) Word count: 23.798 Cover page picture: Kurdish flags at the pro-Kurdistan referendum and pro-Kurdistan independence rally at Franso Hariri Stadium, Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Levi Clancy, 2017). 2 Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank all my respondents who were kind enough to make time for me and share valuable insights and information concerning the referendum; without their cooperation this research could not have been conducted. I would particularly like to thank my thesis supervisor, dr. Chris van der Borgh, who has always supported me and provided me with useful feedback and suggestions on how to improve both my research and my thesis. Furthermore, I would like to thank Saba Azeem, who was so kind as to provide me with valuable context at the beginning of my research and share her experiences in the Iraqi- Kurdistan region with me. In addition, she provided me with access to her networks in Iraqi- Kurdistan, which really helped me kick-starting my research. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who has provided me with feedback on this thesis and who has supported me throughout the research and thesis writing processes.
    [Show full text]
  • Blood and Ballots the Effect of Violence on Voting Behavior in Iraq
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Göteborgs universitets publikationer - e-publicering och e-arkiv DEPTARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE BLOOD AND BALLOTS THE EFFECT OF VIOLENCE ON VOTING BEHAVIOR IN IRAQ Amer Naji Master’s Thesis: 30 higher education credits Programme: Master’s Programme in Political Science Date: Spring 2016 Supervisor: Andreas Bågenholm Words: 14391 Abstract Iraq is a very diverse country, both ethnically and religiously, and its political system is characterized by severe polarization along ethno-sectarian loyalties. Since 2003, the country suffered from persistent indiscriminating terrorism and communal violence. Previous literature has rarely connected violence to election in Iraq. I argue that violence is responsible for the increases of within group cohesion and distrust towards people from other groups, resulting in politicization of the ethno-sectarian identities i.e. making ethno-sectarian parties more preferable than secular ones. This study is based on a unique dataset that includes civil terror casualties one year before election, the results of the four general elections of January 30th, and December 15th, 2005, March 7th, 2010 and April 30th, 2014 as well as demographic and socioeconomic indicators on the provincial level. Employing panel data analysis, the results show that Iraqi people are sensitive to violence and it has a very negative effect on vote share of secular parties. Also, terrorism has different degrees of effect on different groups. The Sunni Arabs are the most sensitive group. They change their electoral preference in response to the level of violence. 2 Acknowledgement I would first like to thank my advisor Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Refugee Status Appeals Authority New Zealand
    REFUGEE STATUS APPEALS AUTHORITY NEW ZEALAND REFUGEE APPEAL NO 76505 AT AUCKLAND Before: B L Burson (Chairperson) S A Aitchison (Member) Counsel for the Appellant: D Mansouri-Rad Appearing for the Department of Labour: No Appearance Date of Hearing: 3 & 4 May 2010 Date of Decision: 14 June 2010 DECISION [1] This is an appeal against the decision of a refugee status officer of the Refugee Status Branch (RSB) of the Department of Labour (DOL) declining refugee status to the appellant, a national of Iraq. INTRODUCTION [2] The appellant claims to have a well-founded fear of being persecuted in Iraq on account of his former Ba’ath Party membership in the rank of Naseer Mutakadim, and due to his father’s position as Branch Member of the al-Amed Organisation for the Ba’ath Party in City A. He fears persecution at the hands of members of the Mahdi Army – a Shi’a militia group in Iraq, the police who collaborate with them, and the Iraqi Government that is infiltrated by militias. [3] The principal issues to be determined in this appeal are the well- foundedness of the appellant’s fears and whether he can genuinely access meaningful domestic protection. 2 THE APPELLANT’S CASE [4] What follows is a summary of the appellant’s evidence in support of his claim. It will be assessed later in this decision. Background [5] The appellant is a single man in his early-30s. He was born in Suburb A in City A. He is one of three children, the youngest of two boys.
    [Show full text]
  • Kuzey Suriye'deki Türkmen Yerleşimlerinin Çağdaş
    AŞT I AR IRM AS A Y LA N R Ü I D 2019 / K EYLÜL - EKİM T ABDULHALİK BAKIR - SÜLEYMAN PEKİN R D Ü CİLT: 123 SAYI: 242 A T KUZEY SURİYE’DEKİ TÜRKMEN YERLEŞİMLERİ SAYFA: 89-130 Türk Dünyası Araştırmaları Eylül - Ekim 2019 TDA Cilt: 123 Sayı: 242 Sayfa: 89-130 Makale Türü: Araştırma Geliş Tarihi: 15.07.2019 Kabul Tarihi: 16.09.2019 KUZEY SURİYE’DEKİ TÜRKMEN YERLEŞİMLERİNİN ÇAĞDAŞ TARİHİ VE STRATEJİK ALTYAPISI ÜZERİNE GENEL BİR DEĞERLENDİRME Prof. Dr. Abdulhalik BAKIR* - Süleyman PEKİN** Öz ‘Coğrafya kaderdir’ deniyor ve bu kader Ortadoğu’da sınırlarla birlikte sık sık değişiyor. 2011 yılından buna dahil olan Suriye’nin özellikle Kuzey kıs- mındaki dil, mezhep ve etnik çeşitlilik Küresel ve Bölgesel Güçlerin rekabetine payanda olmuş durumda. Suriye Devleti’nin resmî idarî yapısındaki 14 vilaye- tin Kuzey Suriye’yi oluşturan 5’inde (Halep, Haseki, Rakka, İdlip ve Lazkiye) bu güçlerin ve buna bağlı olarak farklı grupların mücadeleleri sürmektedir. Bu gruplardan biri ve tarihî açıdan en köklü olanlardan Türkmenlerin bölge üze- rinde yaygın bir yerleşimi söz konusudur. Modern zaman olarak son yüzyıllık periyot içerisinde Millî Mücadele ve Manda, Bağımsızlık ve Baas (Esadlar), İç Savaş ve Tükmenler dönemleriyle Kuzey Suriye’deki Türkmen yerleşim yerlerinin çağdaş tarihini bu makalede ana hatlarıyla incelemeye çalıştık. Yine aynı şekilde Türkmen yerleşimlerinin stratejik alt yapısını da Nüfus ve Nüfuz Etkinlikleri ile Toplumsal Arkaplan çer- çevesinde ele alarak genel bir değerlendirmede bulunduk. Sonuç olarak hem Kuzey Suriye’nin hem de Türkmenlerin Türkiye için önemi artarak sürmektedir. Anahtar kelimeler: Türkmen, Kuzey Suriye, İç Savaş, Esad, Sınırlar, Kimlik, Federasyon. A General Evaluation On The Contemporary History And Strategic Infrastructure Of Turkmen Settlements In North Syria Abstract It is called ‘geography is destiny’ and this fate changes frequently with the borders in the Middle East.
    [Show full text]
  • Libya's Conflict
    LIBYA’S BRIEF / 12 CONFLICT Nov 2019 A very short introduction SERIES by Wolfgang Pusztai Freelance security and policy analyst * INTRODUCTION Eight years after the revolution, Libya is in the mid- dle of a civil war. For more than four years, inter- national conflict resolution efforts have centred on the UN-sponsored Libya Political Agreement (LPA) process,1 unfortunately without achieving any break- through. In fact, the situation has even deteriorated Summary since the onset of Marshal Haftar’s attack on Tripoli on 4 April 2019.2 › Libya is a failed state in the middle of a civil war and increasingly poses a threat to the An unstable Libya has wide-ranging impacts: as a safe whole region. haven for terrorists, it endangers its north African neighbours, as well as the wider Sahara region. But ter- › The UN-facilitated stabilisation process was rorists originating from or trained in Libya are also a unsuccessful because it ignored key political threat to Europe, also through the radicalisation of the actors and conflict aspects on the ground. Libyan expatriate community (such as the Manchester › While partially responsible, international Arena bombing in 2017).3 Furthermore, it is one of the interference cannot be entirely blamed for most important transit countries for migrants on their this failure. way to Europe. Through its vast oil wealth, Libya is also of significant economic relevance for its neigh- › Stabilisation efforts should follow a decen- bours and several European countries. tralised process based on the country’s for- mer constitution. This Conflict Series Brief focuses on the driving factors › Wherever there is a basic level of stability, of conflict dynamics in Libya and on the shortcomings fostering local security (including the crea- of the LPA in addressing them.
    [Show full text]
  • Turkmen of Iraq
    Turkmen of Iraq By Mofak Salman Kerkuklu 1 Mofak Salman Kerkuklu Turkmen of Iraq Dublin –Ireland- 2007 2 The Author Mofak Salman Kerkuklu graduated in England with a BSc Honours in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Oxford Brookes University and completed MSc’s in both Medical Electronic and Physics at London University and a MSc in Computing Science and Information Technology at South Bank University. He is also a qualified Charter Engineer from the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. Mr. Mofak Salman is an author of a book “ Brief History of Iraqi Turkmen”. He is the Turkmeneli Party representative for both Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. He has written a large number of articles that were published in various newspapers. 3 Purpose and Scope This book was written with two clear objectives. Firstly, to make an assessment of the current position of Turkmen in Iraq, and secondly, to draw the world’s attention to the situation of the Turkmen. This book would not have been written without the support of Turkmen all over the world. I wish to reveal to the world the political situation and suffering of the Iraqi Turkmen under the Iraqi regime, and to expose Iraqi Kurdish bandits and reveal their premeditated plan to change the demography of the Turkmen-populated area. I would like to dedicate this book to every Turkmen who has been detained in Iraqi prisons; to Turkmen who died under torture in Iraqi prisons; to all Turkmen whose sons and daughters were executed by the Iraqi regime; to all Turkmen who fought and died without seeing a free Turkmen homeland; and to the Turkmen City of Kerkuk, which is a bastion of cultural and political life for the Turkmen resisting the Kurdish occupation.
    [Show full text]
  • CEMA Regular Lecture Series, 2011-2012
    Volume 2 November 2012 CEMA Centre d’Études Maghrébines en Algérie Newsletter Letter from the Director, Dr. CEMA Special Lecture Series: CEMA Activities at a Glance Robert P. Parks, and Letter The Saharan Lectures & The Pages 5-9 from Associate Director, Dr. CEMA Public Health Lecture Karim Ouaras Series Outreach, AIMS 2013 CFP, Page 2-3 Page 4 Scholars, Recent Publications Pages 10-14 ; Volume Volume 22 2 NovemberNovember 20122012 Letter from CEMA Director, Dr. Robert P. Parks 2011-2012 has been an exciting year at CEMA. Between November 2011 and October 2012, more than 90 researchers spoke at CEMA activities – at fifteen lectures, two thematic round-table activities, two symposia, one six-week fellowship, and one three-day conference. CEMA assisted the research of 47 American and international scholars. And we received nearly 6,500 walk-in visits to the center. Activity is booming and as CEMA grows, so does its audience. We hope to be able to expand our activities to Algiers and the universities and research institutes of the Center of the country this year. Programmatically, we have been active. This year CEMA organized twelve lectures as part of its regular lecture series, which primarily highlights new or on-going research in history, politics, and sociology. CEMA also organizes three special lecture series: ‘the Oran Lecture,’ ‘the Saharan Lectures,’ and a new series on Public Health. ‘The Oran Lecture,’ which we hope to recommence this year, highlights the research of non-Orani Maghrebi scholars in the social sciences and the humanities. Co- organized with the National Research Center for Social and Cultural Anthropology (CRASC), ‘The Saharan Lectures’ builds from the AIMS-West African Research Association (WARA) Saharan Crossroads Initiative, which seeks to underscore the cultural, economic, and social links between the Maghreb and Sahel region.
    [Show full text]
  • Soft Power Or Illusion of Hegemony: the Case of the Turkish Soap Opera “Colonialism”
    International Journal of Communication 7 (2013), 2361-2385 1932–8036/20130005 Soft Power or Illusion of Hegemony: The Case of the Turkish Soap Opera “Colonialism” ZAFER YÖRÜK PANTELIS VATIKIOTIS Izmir University of Economics The article develops two simultaneous arguments; one is theoretical, and the other is analytic. The theoretical argument is based on an assessment of the utility of the concept of “soft power” in comparison to the Gramscian concept of hegemony in understanding the developments in the recent regional power games in the geographical area consisting of Eastern Europe and the near and Middle East. The analytic argument examines the popularity of Turkish soap operas, both among a cross-cultural audience and within the wider context of cultural, economic, and political influences, and in so doing, it points out challenges and limits for Turkey’s regional power. Introduction This article notes the recent boom in the popularity of Turkish soap operas in the Middle East, the Balkans, and some (predominantly “Turkic”) former Soviet Republics in Asia, and examines the discourse of Turkish “soft power” that has developed upon this cultural development. The research focuses here on the analysis of two case studies—of the Middle East and Greece— where the Turkish series are very popular. Both cases are able to contribute different perspectives and explanations of this “cultural penetration” across both sides of a geographical area containing Eastern Europe and the near and Middle East, evaluating Turkey’s “influence” accordingly.1 1 In this regard, the limits of the analysis of the present study are set. Although a general framework of the perception of the Turkish series is provided along both case studies (popularity; aspirations and identifications), further research is needed in order to provide a detailed account of the impact of Turkish series on the related societies.
    [Show full text]
  • Bosnian Rape Camps, Turkish Impalement, and Serb Cultural Memory
    Dartmouth College Dartmouth Digital Commons Open Dartmouth: Published works by Dartmouth faculty Faculty Work 2002 Crossing the River Drina: Bosnian Rape Camps, Turkish Impalement, and Serb Cultural Memory Lynda E. Boose Dartmouth College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/facoa Part of the Women's Studies Commons Dartmouth Digital Commons Citation Boose, Lynda E., "Crossing the River Drina: Bosnian Rape Camps, Turkish Impalement, and Serb Cultural Memory" (2002). Open Dartmouth: Published works by Dartmouth faculty. 2051. https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/facoa/2051 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Work at Dartmouth Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Dartmouth: Published works by Dartmouth faculty by an authorized administrator of Dartmouth Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Crossing the River Drina: Bosnian Rape Camps, Turkish Impalement, and Serb Cultural Memory Author(s): Lynda E. Boose Source: Signs, Vol. 28, No. 1, Gender and Cultural Memory (Autumn, 2002), pp. 71-96 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3175701 Accessed: 14/05/2009 20:34 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sunni Tribes in Iraq: Between Local Power, the International Coalition 1 and the Islamic State by Hosham Dawod
    Report September 2015 The Sunni tribes in Iraq: between local power, the international coalition 1 and the Islamic State By Hosham Dawod Executive summary Particularly in the Middle East there is increased interest in the social and political realities that the term “tribe” now refers to in societies experiencing internal conflict, with both local and global implications. Nearly everywhere the Arab Spring has ended in civil war, attempts at neo-authoritarianism or, more visibly, a spiralling increase in Islamic State-type radical jihadism. In the face of the weakness and even collapse of states, the international powers’ flexibility has been reduced and recourse to tribal support has become increasingly common. The following analysis looks briefly at the phenomenon of the Sunni tribes in Iraq – a country that is experiencing a political break-up, a weakening of the state, radical jihadism, a sectarian war, and regional and international intervention. In the Arab Muslim world the tribe is back at the centre of do not necessarily trigger or accelerate the disappearance political, military and – more generally speaking – security of a range of sociohistorical phenomena (local communi- considerations. There is now no secret about the interest ties, infra-ethnic identities, tribes, etc.). On the contrary, that the U.S. army, after getting bogged down in Iraq, has we see in various places a significant dynamic resulting in taken in the tribal question in that country since 2004, i.e. a resurgence of these phenomena – to the extent that they a year after invading it. This interest was manifest espe- are situated at the heart of conflict resolution.
    [Show full text]