| This dissertation examines the survival and recasting of the Iraqi state between 1988 and 2003. Through four case studies, it suggests that the chaos following the 2003 invasion and the survival of the state between 1988 and 2003 can be understood through a reconsideration of state power. The dissertation's argument is that the state can only be understood as a political order which is fluid in terms of its agency and institutional geography. The coherence of this order is an effect of its performance, rather than an innate quality to be seized or centrally manipulated. Thus, in the day to day performance of a state, the boundaries between the economic, the social and the "stately" are blurred in an interaction that is ultimately political. The dissertation's case studies are: the Anfal Campaign (1987-88), oil smuggling during the sanctions period (1991-2003), the investigations for Weapons of Mass Destruction (1991-2003) and the first two years of the current insurgency (2003-05). Field work for this dissertation was conducted over three years in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and the United States. |
