ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to assess the significance of the Iraqi Federation. The question of significance will be approached from the standpoint of six aspects of the Iraqi federal experiment. These are: the historical legacies, political leadership, regional and international significance, the theoretical significance, the significance of understanding federalism, and the comparative significance. The state-building strategy is the main historical legacy that is linked directly to the formation of the federation. The historical context paved the way for the adoption of federalism, and it is one of the distinguishing features of the new federal models. Effective leadership is the main condition for a successful self-sustaining federation. Regional support is a critical condition for the success of the Iraqi Federation. The important conditions for the success of a federation, according to Friedrich, were the desire to cooperate and the political will to continue the process, both of which are still in question in Iraq today.
