Iraq

Abstract

Of all the states in the Middle East, Iraq is the only one that in recent years has had a total change of regime—not just in terms of a particular individual or party but a wholesale switch from authoritarianism to democracy. This was accomplished only by large-scale external force—a U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that overthrew the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein and has ushered in a governing system unprecedented in Iraqi history. Two implications can be drawn from this: First, Iraq may serve as a model for other authoritarian regimes in the region, not necessarily in the complete overhaul of its political system but rather as a political prototype for other autocracies to examine and, perhaps one day, follow. Second, the change in regime was carried out through violence. Contrary to the first implication, this does not bode well for the end of authoritarianism in the region.