From Power-Sharing to Majoritarianism: Iraq's Transitioning Political System

The greatest political challenge facing Iraq today is its transition from a power-sharing to a majoritarian form of government without a concomitant depoliticization of ethno-sectarian identities.

Power-sharing is an ineffective system of government. It is often introduced into 'deeply divided societies' on the basis that countries made up of numerous religious or ethnic groups must ensure that these are properly represented in government in order to prevent civil conflict. There are two key flaws in this model. The first is the assumption that communal groups must be represented by their own kind in government, and the second is the notion that ethno-sectarian identities will remain the most important political cleavages in a given society.

By assuming that communities can only be represented by their 'own' leaders, power-sharing drastically reduces political choice....

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The entire report and executive summary may be downloaded here: http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/191107