The Unviability of Liberal Democracy in Post-2003 Iraq

Despite expressed objectives for political reform in Iraq after the elimination of the authoritarian governance of Saddam Hussein in 2003, liberal democratic governance is not viable. This thesis highlights an assortment of complex structural issues associated with 21st-century globalization in Iraq that, in fact, inhibit the establishment of liberal democratic governance. Overshadowing prospective reforms are the imperatives of a sponsoring hegemonic power like the U.S. which prioritizes its multifaceted supremacy in the capitalist world economy. Focusing on Iraq, this thesis examines the various systemic features of both a hegemon and a distant underdeveloped periphery which inhibits the formation of stable liberal democratic governance in the developing world. Implicit in this thesis is the repudiation of the Bush Doctrine of 2001 as well as the 'Democratic Peace Theory' most notably articulated by Francis Fukuyama and U.S. Senator John McCain.