The analysis of Iraq's Raison d’etre according to Rosenthal and Cohen's Theory

پژوهش ‎های جغرافیای سیاسی

Article 2, Volume 2, Issue 4 - Serial Number 7, March 2018, Pages 31-54   

Document Type: مقالات علمی -پژوهشی

DOI: 10.22067/pg.v2i7.67030

Authors

Hossein Rabiei^* ; Sakar Shirzad

Kharazmi University

Abstract

Extended Abstract

Introduction

The emergence of Iraq was a result of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War. It was separated from Ottoman Empire in the absence of Raison d’etre and with the wide variety of ethnic and religious identities, and it appeared as an independent state on the political map of the world. According to many researchers, Iraq has been divided based on its linguistic (Kurds and Arabs) and religious (Shiites and Sunnis) groups since the emergence of its modern state. The heterogeneous population of Iraq has made this nation-state deprived of having a cause for existence, the common political ideal, and other factors of nation-building. Thus, from the beginning Iraq has either undergone a coup d'état or has been involved in civil wars or conflict with its neighbors. It seems that the political process necessary to turn Iraq into a united and integrated country has not been well executed, and foreign interferences have always been part of the political destiny of this country.

Theoretical Framework

The framework of this paper is based on the theory of Rosenthal and Cohen. Rosenthal and Cohen argue that the three factors of time, space, and political process can form a country. The two main factors of geographical space and political process shape the country and the cause of the establishment of the state over time. Based on this theory, political actors create political processes by understanding the human conditions and the characteristics of a country; therefore, local and human conditions are the basis of the formation of countries. The concepts of nation-building and the Raison d’etre are also described in this paper.

Methodology

In this research, the process of nation-building in Iraq has been examined by investigating the establishment of Iraq, its cultural and humanitarian conditions, and the process of nation-building and foreign interferences in this country. The basis for evaluating and analyzing this article is Rosenthal and Cohen's theory, which focuses on time, space, and political process. To evaluate this hypothesis, various data from valid library sources have been collected and evaluated using deductive and inductive arguments based on the theory of Rosenthal and Cohen.

Results and discussion

The emergence of Iraq was a result of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War. The series of notes between Britain, France and Russia in 1916, later referred to as the Sykes Pico Agreement, was the basis for the founding of Iraq. Therefore, Iraq is the result of the will of the outside powers and does not have strong national and popular foundations. From the viewpoint of many writers, this country is an artificial one that has been divided since its emergence. Different ethnic and religious groups such as Kurds and Shiites have always been in conflict with the central government. Before the collapse of Saddam's rule, Iraq was the land of coups and rapid political changes. In an important part of his history, he has been involved with authoritarian rules. Therefore, he did not have the necessary stability and peace to carry out the process of nation-building or the will and democracy necessary to reach such a point. Despite the efforts made to establish a solid social link between the people of the country, there are still some individuals who believe that one cannot speak of a person called the Iraqi nation. In fact, it is possible to speak of a country called Iraq, but speaking of an Iraqi nation is not possible yet. Rosenthal and Cohen argue that the three factors of time, space, and political process can form a country. Iraq is a new state in terms of time. Iraq has not had enough time to pursue political processes, such as political perception of place, nationalism, territoriality, area interaction, intra system connectivity, and so on. The geographical space of this country is also divided, and it is interesting that the cultural variations mentioned above are aligned with these geographical differences. The political process is the third dimension of the theory. Since the nation-building of this country, the political perception of place and the functional organization of space have not been properly carried out; therefore, the political process has not been able to perform well  according to Rosenthal and Cohen's theory, and the construction of this state is not complete.

Keywords

Raison d’etre; Nation -State Building; Iraq

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