BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Iraq: A Decade of New Governance - Speaker to be confirmed DTSTART:20131018T080000Z DTEND:20131018T170000Z UID:TALK46761@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:24901 DESCRIPTION:2013 marks the ten year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by US and UK forces\, the swift and catastrophic collapse of Saddam Hussein ’s Ba’athist regime\, and the beginning of a period of occupation and radical societal change. On 16th October 2003\, United Nations Security Co uncil Resolution 1511 unanimously sanctioned a long-term international pre sence in Iraq effectively handing control of the country to Washington. Th is landmark date acts as the anchor of post-conflict governance in Iraq. \ nThe latter years of the past decade have seen the fledgling post-Ba’ath ist Iraq situated in an increasingly fragile landscape. The centralisation of power by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki\, including his increasing inf luence over the Ministries of Defence and Interior\, the integrity and ele ctoral commissions\, the central bank\, and the judiciary\, has been chall enged by a seemingly cross-ethnic and cross-communal alliance that include s the Kurdistan Alliance\, led by Masoud Barzani\, al-Ahrar (Sadrists)\, l ed by Muqtada al-Sadr\, and al-Iraqiya\, led by Ayad Allawi. 10 years on\, Iraqis are still faced with a security dilemma - figures indicate an incr ease in the average number of deaths caused by insurgents from 342 per mon th in 2011 to 378 per month in 2012. In addition\, the government appears unable to meet the needs of its citizenry – a recent Gallup Poll suggest s increasing dissatisfaction with government services (security\, electric ity\, health\, water\, employment\, and education)\, from 50% in 2010 to 6 4% in 2012. Despite this\, several surveys suggest that Maliki continues t o enjoy popular support\, stemming from his ability to create external Sun ni\, intra-Shi’i\, and Kurdish threats. In other words\, he feeds into s ectarian emotions. While the militarized sectarianism that engulfed Iraq i n a civil war from 2006-2008 is no longer a factor\, the Iraqi polity is s till marred by divisions. This conference seeks to address a number of cor e issues\, including the strength of political trust and citizenship\, the socio-economic situation and prospects for an oil-exporting future\, and the precarious domestic and regional security environment.\n\nTensions ove r the Iranian nuclear programme continue to escalate\, whilst Syria is und ergoing a process of cataclysmic disintegration. Throughout the region\, t he tremors and after-shocks of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ seem to sho w no signs of abatement\, as both post-revolution societies\, and those in which no radical change has taken place\, wrestle with a wide range of po litical and social dilemmas stemming from issues of self-definition and se lf-realisation. Some claim that Iraq was the first domino in the ‘Arab S pring’ pack. Regardless of the (un)likelihood of this line of argument\, the experience of Iraq may have important things to teach us with respect to other Arab nations undergoing similar radical social and political uph eaval – particularly with non-homogenous populations. Weaving together s alient themes from Politics and International Studies\, Middle Eastern Stu dies\, Economics\, Law\, Sociology\, History\, and Anthropology\, and draw ing in experts and practitioners from these fields\, this conference will offer theoretical and empirical insights into contemporary Iraq. The lesso ns learned will be used to aid and direct future research and theoretical modelling in post-conflict states and societies. Moreover\, following a re quest from the Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies\, this conference will also launch the Iraq Studies Academic Network\, intended to bring togethe r students and scholars and to provide an ongoing resource database for co ntinued research. LOCATION:CRASSH\, Alison Richard Building\, 7 West Road\, Cambridge END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR