Identifying Alternative Approaches to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism: A Case Study of Iraq Post US Intervention

Abstract

Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the authorities faced massive security challenges and failed to achieve peace and stability. The US led interim government CPA miscarried the navigation through existing dynamics within Iraq. Its failure to recognize the full extent of this operation and the neglect of the so called “essence” of Iraqi society, led ultimately to rise of violence and fostered extremist forces like ISIL. The US led intervention caused the downfall of the Ba'athist regime, hence created a “profound power vacuum”. A series of wrongful political decisions intensified existing tensions by large. The CPA’S lack of comprehension and its deficiency in planning for conflict stabilization and governance left Iraq vulnerable to violent insurgency and internal turmoil until today. Such failed intervention and attempt to reach regional stability, introduces the value in researching alternative approaches to peace building and prevention of rising extremism. As suggested by experts in the field, the empowerment and the involvement of Iraqi local forces, such as tribes, are crucial in achieving stability. This paper is a preliminary study of the subject on alternative approaches to counter violence and prevent extremism in conflict prone regions. Methodologically it is based on existing academic material and previous studies. The key finding of this project is the necessity of including local decision makers as an enhanced and sustainable method to establish stability, compared to the failures and fatalities caused by US intervention. This work is a pathway to a future ethnography to be conducted in Jazira, Iraq.