From colonial aggression to Islamic State: the origins of charismatic conflict in post-Baathist Iraq (1991-2019)

Abstract

This article examines the formation of religious discourse within the struggles for politico-religious charisma following the collapse of the Iraqi state after the Gulf War invasion in 1991. It traces how these discourses evolved as a result of social transformations under consecutive wars triggered by U.S. interventions. The central hypothesis argues that, unlike the nationalist stabilization achieved through the monopoly of charisma under Baathism, which enabled the creation of the modern Iraqi nation-state, the rivalry for religious charisma, shaped by sectarianism, failed to restore national unity post-invasion. This failure is primarily due to the extreme polarization of Shiite and Sunni religious discourses during wartime, exacerbated by the destruction of the secular mechanisms that once maintained inter-religious order. These mechanisms, embodied by the Iraqi administration, were weakened by decades of colonial war and embargo since 1991. The article also explores how the conflict itself, rather than religious differences, has become a driving force behind new religious charismas. By revisiting the transformations within the Baath Party and Saddam Hussein’s political discourse, the study highlights the role of colonial aggression in shaping Iraq’s sectarianism. Ultimately, this analysis challenges the dominant narrative of religious division, linking it instead to the broader history of external intervention and its lasting impact.