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Power Struggles and Political Violence in Iraq

Chatham House’s Renad Mansour joins Deep Dish to discuss implications today’s perils have for Iraq and the Middle East.
Iraq flag at protest Play Podcast
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About the Episode

Last week power struggles between rival Shia groups erupted in deadly street battles that sparked fears of a renewed cycle of violence. Chatham House’s Renad Mansour joins Deep Dish and argues that the conventional view that Iraq’s political instability is driven by sectarian and ethnic divisions is wrong. Rather, the real cleavage is between a permanent political elite, across faith and ethnic divisions, who work together to divide up state resources to benefit themselves at the expense of the Iraqi people. 

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About the Experts
Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme; Project Director, Iraq Initiative, Chatham House
Renad Mansour is a senior research fellow and project director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House. He is also a senior research fellow at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, and a research fellow at the Cambridge Security Initiative based at Cambridge University. He is also a co-author of the book, "Once Upon a Time in Iraq".
Brian Hanson
Former Vice President, Studies
Brian Hanson headshot
Brian Hanson served as the vice president of studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He managed the Council's research operations and hosted the Council's weekly podcast, Deep Dish on Global Affairs.
Brian Hanson headshot

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