Iraq since 2003: Perspectives on a Divided Society by Safa al-Sheikh and Emma Sky, The International Institute for Strategic Studies. BLUF. The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 had a traumatic effect on Iraqi society, causing it to break down into different armed groups that at times fought the US-led Coalition, the new government, members of other sects and even members of the same sect in a nation-wide conflict that claimed the lives of well over 100,000 Iraqis. While this violence has since decreased, Iraq's stability gains remain fragile, and the country's future is uncertain. To understand why there was so much violence in Iraq after 2003, and why the violence eventually decreased, it is important to examine the contending perspectives of the different groups, in particular Sunni insurgents, the central government in Baghdad and the followers of Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr (known as Sadrists).
Editor's Note: While the cost is $20, this read is well worth the price. Safa and Emma attempt to deconstruct the American narrative about the invasion and subsequent "Surge" by providing the Iraqi perspective on the overall cost and impact of the intervention.