Iraq voted on October 10th of last year, in snap elections meant to address the causes of the nationwide protests of 2019 which toppled the previous government. Lengthy government formation processes are not unusual in Iraq, however, it seems that the elections of 2021 brought to an end the informal agreements – also within confessional and ethnical groups – which dominated the political landscape since the first elections in 2005 after Saddam Hussein’s fall. What could have been seen as a hope for normalization of politics in Iraq, led to a constitutional impasse and threatens the stability of the country.
Harith Hasan is a senior researcher at the Emirates Policy Center and non-resident fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center. His research focuses on Iraq and the Middle East.
Gudrun Harrer, Senior Editor at Der Standard, Lecturer on Modern History and Politics of the Middle East, University of Vienna and Diplomatic Academy of Vienna
Recorded on ZOOM, May 17, 2022
Kreisky Forum Talks