The idea that troops and guns can lead to bring democracy on their own is something we should learn from what happens in Iraq. The new Iraq wasn't necessarily to serve the people, it was to empower a new elite coming from abroad. You know 20% of Iraqis married across sectarian lines before invasion; there were different religious interpretations of Islam but they weren't killing each other or anything like that. But after 2003, as this elite come back, they need to build constituencies and they can't do it easily going to neighborhoods that they don't know. This is where sectarianism starts to seep into the equation. And you start getting Sunni, Shia neighborhoods again towards civil war very quickly after the
What happened in Iraq once the Americans and the British arrived? Why was the transfer of power a far from smooth operation? And what else went wrong in what should have been the mission for liberation?
In the second episode of this series Iraq: Legacy of War, brought to you by Intelligence Squared, host Manveen Rana, is joined again by Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House; and Clare Short, who was Secretary of State for International Development from 1997 to 2003.
To listen to the whole series now please subscribe via Intelligence Squared Premium on Apple Podcasts or here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more.
This series was produced by Farah Jassat and Catharine Hughes, with editing and artwork from Catharine Hughes. Music is by Lesfm. Excerpts featured in this episode are from BBC news.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices