Jacob Eriksson

victor's peace in Iraq

'Jacob Eriksson offers an astute reading of Iraq's messy political transition and security sector reform. Coupling theoretical insights with sharp case studies of Iraqi cities and provinces, he shows how a country with obvious signs of ongoing violence is locked into the politics of peace and reconstruction and why a country where militias proliferate insists on centralized state building. This book is essential for anyone interested in the Iraqi security sector and its governance.'- Ariel Ahram, Virginia Tech'This book offers a compelling account of how the Iraqi state has been built in the aftermath of ISIS. Eriksson shows how post-war Iraq has developed through complex and dynamic relationships between government institutions, armed groups and communities, providing an important new framework for understanding governance after violent conflict.'- Renad Mansour, Chatham HouseFollowing the territorial defeat of ISIS, a victor's peace has emerged in Iraq which challenges certain liberal preconceptions about how to build sustainable peace. This book explores the nature of the prevailing peace in Iraq and the peacebuilding processes behind it, focusing on political power-sharing, security provision, transitional justice, and reconciliation. Based on extensive interviews with Iraqi and international peacebuilding practitioners, this is the first comprehensive analysis of contemporary Iraqi peacebuilding, grounded in the history of the post-2003 conflict cycle. By examining the role of the state but also other political and social actors such as tribes and militia, it problematises state-centric notions of political authority, order, and power. This book is essential to understanding a complex peace which has proved sustainable yet remains fragile.