Chaos, Disorder and Uncertainty: US Misplaced Priorities Behind the Rise of Militancy in Iraq

Abstract

Chaos, disorder, and uncertainty in Iraq is the result of various events and misguided and misdirected
American policies that brought Iraq to the brink of instability. This article highlights the causes that
fueled sectarian-based violence in Iraq after the United States (US) led coalition forces overthrew
Saddam from power. It explores how coalition forces’ policies in Iraq helped in the marginalization of
Sunni minority, who later tested their luck through an organized armed struggle and joined the antistates forces. Through content analysis methodology, the study investigated how the Iraqi leadership
indiscriminately handled the volatile scenario of Iraq. The research uses case studies to investigate the
de-Baathification process that led Iraq to a breeding ground for militants to operate. The internal
divide in the era of chaos under the rule of PM Maliki has been analyzed to examine militancy based on
sectarian lines in between Shia and Sunni that spread and took over Iraq’s key cities.