Women And Democracy In Iraq

As the post-invasion reconstruction of Iraq has unfolded, the potential for Iraqi women to participate actively and visibly in the country's political structure has been one of its most notable results. The 2005 Constitution required that no less than 25% of seats in the Iraqi Parliament be filled by women. Yet despite subsequent parliamentary statistics suggesting great strides for female political participation, there has been a resounding silence on the wider implications of this quota for women in Iraqi political life. This book is the first full-length study of women's political representation in Iraq. Based on interviews with politicians and substantial media analysis, Huda Al-Tamimi outlines the political, sectarian and cultural constraints facing female Members of Parliament, and the ways in which individual women and women's organizations are actively challenging barriers to their political influence. The book is a vital contribution to discussions concerning the success and limitations of gender quotas in the Middle East. It also offers new and critical perspectives on the evolution of Iraqi politics, a subject that remains of high priority for a region and international community interested in the nation's reconstruction.

"There is something to learn, literally, on every page here."--Cynthia Enloe, from the foreword "This is a fluent and highly informed account of the women of Iraq during a time of ever increasing political turmoil, economic disaster and foreign invasion. It gives a fascinating insight into the way Iraqi society really works and is far superior in quality to most of what has been written about Iraq in war and peace."--Patrick Cockburn, author of Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq

Reflecting twenty years of research and experience—after working with guerrilla fighters in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, with Iranian refugees in Istanbul, with interreligious reconciliation groups in Morocco, and with former political prisoners in South Africa—Segall offers a groundbreaking study of globalization, gender, and resistance in public spaces. With timely correctives to the media lens of the Arab and African Spring, the author views protest not just as an economic and political act but also as a potential space of healing and creativity amidst contentious and gendered territories. Analyzing blogs, graphic novels, performances, and public testimonials, this book is unique in its attention to local expressions and creative use of technology to speak of political identities. With its impressive range of generational and gendered voices, Performing Democracy suggests hybrid protests that are voicing trauma, seeking change.

This book examines the women's movement in Iran and its role in contesting gender relations since the 1979 revolution. Looking at examples from politics, law, employment, environment, media and religion and the struggle for democracy, this book demonstrates how material conditions have important social and political consequences for the lives of women in Iran and exposes the need to challenge the dominant theoretical perspectives on gender and Islam. A truly fascinating insider's look at the experiences of Iranian women as academics, political and civil society activists, this book counters the often inaccurate and misleading stereotyping of Iranian women to present a vibrant and diverse picture of these women's lives. A welcome and unique addition to the vibrant and growing literature on women, Islam, development, democracy and feminisms.

Women and War in the Middle East provides a critical examination of the relationship between gender and transnationalism in the context of war, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction in the Middle East. Critically examining the ways in which the actions of various local and transnational groups - including women's movements, diaspora communities, national governments, non-governmental actors and multilateral bodies - interact to both intentionally and inadvertantly shape the experiences of women in conflict situations, and determine the possibilities for women's participation in peace-building and (post)-conflict reconstruction, as well as the longer-term prospects for peace and security. The volume pays particular attention to the ways in which gender roles, relations and identities are constructed, negotiated and employed within transnational social and political fields in the conflict and post-conflict situations, and their particular consequences for women. Contributions focus on the two countries with the longest experiences of war and conflict in the Middle East, and which have been subject to the most prominent international interventions of recent years - that is, Iraq and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Issues addressed by contributors include the impact of gender mainstreaming measures by international agencies and NGOs upon the ability of women to participate in peace-building and post-conflict resolution; the consequences for gender relations and identities of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq; and how transnational feminist movements can most effectively support peace building and women's rights in the region. Based entirely on original empirical research. Women and War in the Middle East brings together some of the foremost scholars in the areas of feminist international relations, feminist international political economy, anthropology, sociology, history and Middle East studies.

Providing a close-up perspective on what has happened in Iraq since Operation Desert Storm, this book considers the economic devastation of the war and the abortive uprising that followed it. The authors look at how the regime has maintained itself in power, documenting the institutionalized terror and extremely repressive cultural policies imposed by the Ba'ath under Saddam Hussein.

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Near East, Near Orient, grade: 1,0 Germany, 5 Finland, University of Tampere, language: English, abstract: The news about the Iraq seem to be always the same. In the former empire of Saddam Hussein dominates terrorism, destruction and death. Positive news of Iraq are neither in the newspaper nor in television. This inappropriates the reality. In Iraq there exist also positive occurrences. Indeed it is true that these are mostly only small successful stories for example a reopening of a school or a hospital or maybe only new medical equipment. But such events have not any space in the news. It ́s seems to be to nonrelevant and these news do not represent the picture of the Iraq that the people have or want to have. Anyhow these prosperities are a step into a better future. However we also have to contemplate the Iraq with a view on the former days. There was a dictator, Saddam Hussein, a tyrant who controlled everybody, who eliminate the Schiites and Kurds, who let rape the women of his opponents, who demolished houses and at last executed thousands of people. And he did not only tyrannize his own country, he was also a big danger for the rest of the world. The first pictures after the conquest of Baghdad from the US-armed forces showed a population felt that their suffering under Saddam is over. There was a folk which celebrated the release from a brutal dictator. Also in 2005 the majority of the Iraq thinks still in the same way. There is a folk who sees a better future. 67 percent of the population have the opionion that their country will turn to a better route. Before the elections January 2005 67 percent of the population supported the elections and 88 percent reported that they will take part in the votings. At the end 58 percent of the whole population voted, which is a good result for a country which makes it ́s first experiences with democratic principles. But of course it ́s no question that the USA pursued a very high and difficult aim with the democratization of the Iraq and it is also beyond discussion that it will take a lot of time to democratize the Iraq, which was three years ago a dictatorship. In the following essay I would like to discuss the opportunity for the democratizationprocess in Iraq. But at first the essay begins with some aspects about the situation under the Saddam regime, because we can only appreciate the future options when we know something about the history. After this I go on with the contemporary situation in Iraq, with positive and negative aspects about the present democratization process. [...]