The Impact of Formal Military Militias on the Democratic Transition Process in Post-2014 Iraq

Abstract

One of the ways to Democratization process is obtained by Military Forces; In this study, we identify and deepen the impact and influence of the non-state armed groups on the democratization process in deep-divided societies such as the Iraqi society. At the beginning of the paper, we look at the Kurdish force (Peshmerga) and Shia armed groups (Popular Mobilization Forces – PMF) and assess their legal basis from the Iraqi Post-2003 constitution. Then the role these groups will play in strengthening and supporting a democratic transition also will be discussed in detail. The main question in our paper is to determine the role these mentioned armed groups will play in Post-2014 Iraq, how they will contribute to preserving political stability, and also which position they will take in the democratic transition process. Shia armed groups limited to different levels of roles have been considered, and their influences on human rights, national goals, and corruption in Iraq have also been discussed. The main feature of this study is its analysis of irregular forces, unlike what is seen in previous studies that analyse the role of regular forces, such as the study that Samuel Huntington wrote in his book (The Third Wave of Democratic Transformation). In this descriptive study, we used the analytical approach to analyse the role of militias in Iraq, in addition to the legal approach to explain the constitutional and legal articles that make these military forces regular forces alongside the forces of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence. At the end of the study, we concluded that the militias have a negative role in the process of democratic transition, and countries must strive to dismantle these forces if they are not characterized as constitutional forces.