The Role of the Islamic Da'wah Party in Iraq 2003-2006

Abstract

After 2003, the Iraqi state witnessed fundamental changes in governance, most notably the transition of power from a centralized, authoritarian regime to a pluralistic system based on political and sectarian democratic consensus. The Islamic Dawa Party, one of the most prominent Shiite political parties in Iraq, participated in the Governing Council and drafted the constitution. It won electoral power through a unified coalition for three terms, but faced internal and external obstacles. This limited its influence on average. Between 2003 and 2006, the role of the Dawa Party remains controversial among scholars, as it is viewed on the one hand as a key figure in the political transformation, and on the other hand as a party that contributed to deepening divisions. Based on several important sources, this study consists of three main topics: The first Consists of on the Dawa Party's participation in the Governing Council between 2003 and 2006, and the second is devoted to the Islamic Dawa Party's relationship with other Iraqi Shiite parties (and the Kurds). The paper adopts a descriptive analytical approach and applies political theory to understand the relationship between Shiite political Islam and state-building under the US occupation and regional pressures. The results indicate that the party's performance was influenced by several factors, including its closed ideological structure, its vertical organizational structure, its ideological political discourse, and its diverse relations with regional powers.