The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) has the pleasure of inviting you to a conference on:
The Shiites as Political Actors in Iraq:
Who are They and What do They Want?
Friday, 25 January 2008, 09.30-15.00
Danish Institute for International Studies
Main Auditorium
Strandgade 71, ground floor, 1401 Copenhagen K
Background
In contemporary Iraqi politics, Shia-islamist parties are the dominant political groups, holding the reins of power in an alliance with Kurdish parties. At the same time, Shia-islamist movements like the Sadr movement and the Fadhila party constitute a part of the opposition to the Iraqi Government. Finally, clerical Shia institutions in Najaf – represented by the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani – play a role as an overall guardian and coordinator of sorts of Shia politics in Iraq. It is therefore necessary to analyse Shia-Islamic institutions and Shia-islamist parties in order to understand the dynamics and developments of Iraqi politics and where the country is heading.
So far, Shia-islamist politics have mainly been studied in relation to Iran and Lebanon. Therefore, Shia-islamist politics in the region are often confounded with movements in these two countries. Although Shia-islamist movements in Iraq are clearly related to political movements in Iran, they are at the same time distinct from their Iranian affiliates. Furthermore, as political actors, Iraqi Shiites are not a monolithic group, but comprise a number of diverse movements, each with its own socio-economic background and ideological vision. Research-based knowledge on these issues is scarce and in order to understand Iraqi politics better, we need to expand our knowledge by studying these Iraqi Shia-islamist political groups by asking who they are and what they want.
This over-arching question may be subdivided into the following more specific questions: (1) What does it mean that an actor is Shia-islamist? (2) Which Shia-islamist actors exist in Iraq, and what is the difference between them? (3) What role does Shia-religious institutions and leaders play? (4) What role do socio-economic conflicts play in intra-Shia conflicts in Iraq? (5) Which regional relations are there to other Shia-islamist political actors and Shia-Islam in Iran, Lebanon and the Gulf?
A DIIS report on the politics of Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the Sadr-movement, ISCI and Da'waand, Shia-Islamist Political Actors in Iraq: Who are They and What do They Want? was published January 17 2008. The report will also be available at the conference.
Ghanem Jawad is head of the cultural and human rights activities at the headquarters of the Iraqi Al-Khoei Foundation in London. Jawad has presented numerous papers and written two books and a number of articles on Shia-Islamic political movements in Iraq and other issues in relation to Iraq.
Reidar Visser is senior researcher with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). He specialises in the history of the state system of the modern Middle East, regionalist movements, the politics of city states, and historiography in politics. Visser’s work on the question of decentralisation and federalism in southern Iraq is available from the website historiae.org. Amongst his publications are Basra, the Failed Gulf State: Separatism and Nationalism in Southern Iraq (LIT Verlag, 2005) and “Basra, the Reluctant Seat of ‘Shiastan’” (Middle East Report, no.242, Spring 2007).
Søren Schmidt is project researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies and is presently working on Shia politics in Iraq. He holds a PhD in Development Studies and specialises in development, state-building and political economy issues of the Middle East. He has contributed to a number of books and written articles on Iraq and Syria. Prior to re-entering academia in 2000, Schmidt worked for several years as a senior officer with the European Commission in Jerusalem and Damascus. Recent publications by Schmidt include Irak: Religionskrig eller politisk konflikt? (DIIS, 2007) and ”Muqtada al-Sadr – ny leder af Irak?” (Politiken, 2007).
Programme
09.30-09.50 Welcome and Introduction
Søren Schmidt, Project Researcher, DIIS
09.50-11.00 The Development of Shia-Islamist Political Movements in Iraq
Ghanim Jawad, Head of Section, Al-Khoei Foundation
Discussion
11.00-11.20 Coffee Break
11.20-12.30 Is a “Shiastan” in Southern Iraq a Possibility?
Reidar Visser, Senior Researcher, Norwegian Institute of International
Affairs (NUPI)
Discussion
12.30-13.15 Lunch Break
13.15-14.45 Where is Iraq Heading?
Søren Schmidt, Project Researcher, DIIS
Comments
Ghanim Jawad, Head of Section, Al-Khoei Foundation
Reidar Visser, Senior Researcher, Norwegian Institute of International
Affairs (NUPI)
General Discussion
14.45-15.00 Concluding Remarks
Søren Schmidt, Project Researcher, DIIS
Practical Information
The conference will be held in English.
Sandwiches will be served in connection with the conference.
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Registration is now closed. |
Top
