The Locals Strike Back

This chapter assesses the long-term political consequences of the ‘local turn’ in contemporary counter-insurgency by critically interrogating what came to be known as the Anbar Awakening and the Surge in Iraq. Sunni Muslim communities in Anbar Province were the base of the insurgency and especially Fallujah was seen as the center for al Qaeda Iraq operations. In this context, US forces started to train militias and provided them with weapons, logistical support and intelligence. This chapter analyses the political context after the Surge and concludes the strategy instead of providing sustainable security led to a weaponization of sectarianism.