An absence of inclusive, responsive and accountable governance was a major factor in the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to research by the humanitarian organization Mercy Corps.
In its new report, Investing in Iraq’s Peace: How Good Governance Can Diminish Support for Violent Extremism, Mercy Corps explains that after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, political players fanned the country’s sectarian flames for their own gain. These actions propelled sympathy for armed insurgencies, which “purported to offer marginalized groups an alternative to the corrupt Iraqi government,” the report states.
When Haider al-Abadi took over following Prime Minister Maliki’s resignation in August 2014, Sunnis anticipated improved government services, according to Mercy Corps opinion surveys. New leadership also led to a decline in support for armed insurgent groups such as ISIS among marginalized communities. Mercy Corps therefore concludes that getting governance right would “ameliorate popular support for sectarian militancy.” However, because the new prime minister’s reforms face numerous obstacles, resulting in slow progress towards reform, opinion polls now show that confidence in the central government continues to erode.
The report shows that “improving government legitimacy is vital to a just and peaceful Iraq.” This cannot be accomplished by attempting to legitimize the state “through top-down, costly stabilization and reconstruction projects. Rather, effective development can happen even as the conflict continues in Iraq, if approaches are coupled with efforts to enable Iraqi citizens to make their government deliver for them through programs that promote citizen engagement, enhance government-citizen dialogues, and mobilize civic-minded youth to be leaders.”
The report finds that recent citizen-oriented governance investments are impacting the country in a positive way. Therefore, Mercy Corps recommends “firmer, long-term support for Iraqi civil society, which can broker dialogue between government and citizens, improving transparency, accountability, and legitimacy.”
Read the full report here.