The trouble with Halbousi: the rise of, and resistance to, Iraq’s Sunni strongman

Foltyn, Simona (2023) The trouble with Halbousi: the rise of, and resistance to, Iraq’s Sunni strongman. LSE Middle East Centre paper series (76). LSE Middle East Centre, London, UK.

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Abstract

The paper examines the rise of and the recent opposition to Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi in his home province Anbar and, more broadly, within Iraq’s Sunni political scene. Halbousi is a young, ambitious politician who has served as member of parliament, governor of Anbar province and has recently been re-elected for a second term as the speaker of parliament, the most powerful Sunni position in Shiʿa-majority Iraq, where senior government positions are apportioned on an ethnic and sectarian basis. But his striking ascent has been overshadowed by his reputation of a cunning and ruthless politician who has used ‘money and force’ to consolidate his grip on power. This paper sheds light on Halbousi’s extraordinary trajectory, examining the reasons for mounting discontent and the implications for stability and representation in Sunni areas.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://www.lse.ac.uk/middle-east-centre/publicati...
Additional Information:	© 2023 The Author
Divisions:	Middle East Centre
Subjects:	J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia
Date Deposited:	31 Oct 2023 08:42
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2023 08:42
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/120568

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