Iraqi Islamist parties in international politics: The impact of historical and international politics on political conflict in post-war Iraq

This article sheds light on the two main Iraqi Islamist parties, the Da’wa Party and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and clarifies their changing policies under the influence of the host countries and international politics. It also makes clear how the political conflict in post-war Iraq reflected these changes. Scholars of Iraqi politics have discussed the reasons of political conflict in post-war Iraq as following: (1) sectarian conflicts as a result of the artificiality of the Iraqi state and (2) struggles for the mobilization of votes in elections. Against these arguments, this article considers the historical and international impacts on the formerly exiled Islamist ruling parties as a more significant factor in explaining the reasons for political conflict in post-war Iraq.