3 of 27

Write now Article Tools

"Will Iraq ever form a legitimate government?"

The short answer is yes. The government of Iraq already has a constitution, a prime minister, a parliament, security forces, and is recognized as the legitimate authority of the state of Iraq by the greater society of states. Furthermore how the government of Iraq will produce that legitimacy is dependent on the varied history of Iraq's various groups going from the twenties to the invasion and subsequent democratization.

The long answer is yes but with certain caveats based in the history and culture of governmental legitimacy and authority in Iraq. First a definition of what is meant by legitimate. The definition of legitimacy is "in accordance with established rules, principles or standards." This is a little too basic of an understanding to ascertain what is meant by a legitimate government. German sociologist Max Weber has proposed three sources of political legitimacy and authority: charismatic, traditional, and rational/legal. Weber argues that charismatic is based and dependent on the charisma of the leader, he uses the example of tribes and religious leaders. Traditional legitimacy and authority is based on this certain political structure has existed for so long that its authority is accepted by the populace. Rational/Legal is based on the idea that legitimacy and authority derives itself from standard operating procedures that are based on principles and laws expressed via a constitution or collection of documents. Thus these three sources, charismatic, traditional, and rational/legal, will aide in defining whether Iraq's government is legitimate or not.

How does what Weber wrote relate to Iraqi political legitimacy? Historically, the three major political groups of Iraq; Sunni, Shia, and Kurds have shaped political authority and legitimacy in Iraq via the three aforementioned sources.

The Sunni's have used their historical control of Iraq to create a legitimacy and authority that is based on the rational/legal and charismatic model. This has meant that the Sunni's have always created and controlled the central Baghdad government, including the bureaucracy, national laws and the state's behavior regarding other states. But as the central government's legitimacy waned during the Saddam years, the legitimacy gears shifted from being generated solely from the government to the Sunni tribes in western Iraq. Furthermore, as the base of legitimacy changed from rational/legal to charismatic the nature of that legitimacy

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Will Iraq ever form a legitimate government??
We want to hear your view. Write now!