The Prospects for Democracy in Iraq: challenges and opportunities

Iraq’s Constitution of 2005: The Case Against Consociationalism ‘Light’

“…11. The careful balancing of different ethno-sectarian groups in the CPA has also invited comparisons with Lebanon (Dawisha, 2005;Langohr, 2005). 12.…”

Democratic Norms and Forces of Gatekeeping

“…Ethnic and religious identity, while often studied as gatekeeping forces at the individual level, could be studied at the ideological level when, as some researchers suggest, religion and ethnicity are the main ideological dividing lines in society, such as in Iraq. 62 The literature on ethnic ideological influences is varied. Though a strand of literature indicates political ideology and ethnicity may influence journalists' news decisions, 63 Shoemaker and colleagues found that these factors were not significantly associated with U.S. journalists' news coverage in the United States.…”

“…14 Journalists were the most likely gatekeepers in this environment, as Iraqi civil society had been decimated by the regime. 15 This research builds on a small body of literature that examines the forces influencing journalists' attitudes as gatekeepers rather than on news gathering, production, or selection of news content. The framework of this study contributes to the further development of gatekeeping theory through introducing three new models that could be adapted and applied to the many politically transitioning countries with emerging democratic norms and institutions.…”

Iraq and the Region Since the War of 2003

“…However, Iraqi democracy would not reach the ideal of 'Jeffersonian democracy'. 11 The adoption of 'territorial' federalism in Iraq was also regarded as necessary for the maintenance of a democratic system. Such constitutional federalism was, in fact, approved by the Iraqi Parliament on 11 October 2006.…”