ABSTRACT
The conclusion offers several general observations about Iraqi political life over the past century, with an eye on its future prospects. These claims tap into and extend the book’s thematic emphasis on power, institutions, and identity in Iraqi politics, highlighting five interrelated findings that are rooted in the Iraqi experience and have ongoing relevance. They include the country’s vexing “middle-state dilemma,” the challenging nature of oil as both a problem and a solution, the benefits and limitations of democracy in managing political change, the persistent legacies of Iraqi state formation and nation-building, and the reality of Iraq’s continued existence into the twenty-first century despite all the ordeals it has endured. The reader can expect to gain a balanced sense for the challenges Iraq faces—some structural, some emanating from its fraught history, some a result of poor leadership—along with the possibilities for a brighter future, which remain evident in the energy and activism of a resilient and youthful population.
