They provided support for the development of a modern and professional Iraqi military, capable of defending Iraq’s borders. The US and the international anti-IS coalition subsequently invested heavily in Iraq, capacity building and humanitarian assistance. Balancing Iraq’s Stabilization and US-Iran Tensionsĭefeating IS and saving Iraq from a total collapse became a top priority for both the Iraqis and the international community.

Iraq’s instability became worse after the US disengagement and troop withdrawal in 2011, culminating in an exponential rise in violent extremism and ultimate emergence of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in 2014. The Iraqi leaders failed to make the most of the available opportunities and generous international support to help their country regain its sovereignty or the ability to limit the growing influence of both regional powers and transnational ANSAs. These rendered a wealthy state dysfunctional, increasingly fragile and unable to provide security or quality services to its people. Consequently, sectarianism, militarisation and rampant corruption overwhelmed the governing system and became increasingly institutionalised. To date, the 2005 Constitution has not been adequately implemented, state-building has not become a priority and power has not fully transferred from the political parties and the armed non-state actors (ANSAs) to state institutions. However, Iraq’s political and security dynamics proved too challenging for both the Iraqis and the international partners to achieve these goals in just two decades. These aspirations were later translated into a new social contract, the 2005 Constitution, which constituted a roadmap for the country’s nation and the long term state-building process.

Eager to see their country becoming a prosperous and forward-looking nation, many Iraqis welcomed the opportunity to see Saddam Hussain’s regime removed in favour of a new one based on democratic values. The United States and their ‘coalition of the willing’ invaded Iraq in the Spring 2003, ending the most oppressive regime the country had known for centuries.

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