T HIS BOOK GREW from our concern that the conflict in Iraq could continue for decades if the international debate remains mired in the divisions triggered by the 2003 invasion by the United States and its allies. We sought to develop new terms that would ground the debate in the reality of contemporary Iraq as understood in the light of historical trends that date back well before 2003. We began by bringing Iraqis and experts on Iraq from the fields of diplomacy and academia to a conference in

more »

... ttawa on May 11 and 12, 2006, organized by Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. That initiative culminates in this volume, which we hope offers a comprehensive analysis of state fragility as the underlying cause of Iraq's ongoing instability, as well as options for Iraqis and the international community to consider in their efforts to alleviate the violence. We should record, at the outset, that the views expressed in the volume are those of the contributors and of the editors alone. They do not reflect those of the government of Canada nor of the International Peace Academy (which by definition is home to a multitude of views and opinions). At the conference, we were grateful to benefit from the remarks delivered by Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN Secretary-General's first Special Envoy for Iraq. Mr. Brahimi brought a wealth of wisdom acquired through years of working with Iraqis to address the causes of instability in their country, as well as comparative experience in the management of conflicts in many other countries. Central to our discussions were the contributions of Iraqis themselves. In particular we would like to thank Bakhtiar Amin, Ghassan Atiyyah, Asos Hardi, Najmaldin Karim, Laith Kubba, Fareed Yasseen, and Iraq's ambassador to Canada, Howar Ziad. Their contributions and reactions had a considerable influence on the analyses and insights generated by this project.