ABSTRACT
The 1991 defeat of Iraqi forces following their invasion of Kuwait by the American-led coalition prompted a series of political and economic changes in Iraq that have yet to be fully resolved. Baghdad was able to use the remains of its security forces to put down political resistance in the northern and southern provinces by the summer of 1991 but has yet to reintegrate these portions of the country as part of the post-war reconstruction. The northern Kurdish provinces in particular have been the site of regular international intervention, competition between various Kurdish political factions, and a consistent attempt by Baghdad to manipulate events, most directly in an armed attack in September of 1996. Despite negotiations between the United Nations and Iraq to ease the economic sanctions and restore basic living conditions, the political exploitation of internal economic policies has set the stage for future conflict.
