ABSTRACT
Shi’a Islamist parties have emerged as major political actors in Iraq after the US invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. They played key roles in shaping constitutional and political processes and the internal dynamics of Iraqi politics. In pursuing their goals, they demonstrated a considerable degree of flexibility and pragmatism, especially as they were trying to acclimatize their ideological convictions with the new political realities. They had to decide the extent to which they should try to adhere to their Islamist beliefs while functioning in a system of government that was, at least theoretically, based on western democratic, parliamentary models.
This chapter discusses the transformations of Shi’a Islamism in Iraq from opposition to governance. It highlights the strategies adopted by Islamist parties, and the impact of electoral politics, the ethno-sectarian power-sharing and the rentier economy on their behaviour.
