Burak Bilgehan Özpek

Burak Bilgehan Ozpek

Burak Bilgehan Özpek is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at the TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara. His main research interests include the de facto states, conflict studies, contemporary politics of the Middle East and Turkish foreign policy. He has published and forthcoming articles in journals such as Journal of International Relations and Development, International Journal, Near East Quarterly, Iran and the Caucasus, Turkish Studies, Israel Affairs and Global Governance.

E-Mail: bbozpek@etu.edu.tr

This individual is a guest contributor for mei.edu, and is not affiliated with The Middle East Institute.

Publications

Apr 8, 2014

Burak Bilgehan Özpek

Maliki and the Need for a Free Market Economy in Iraq

Apr 8, 2014

Burak Bilgehan Özpek

It would be unfair to argue that democracy fails to provide stability in divided societies or that democracy cannot work in Iraq. Instead, the term “democracy” should be redefined to take free market principles into consideration. As the Iraq case shows, any political group, party, or figure can manipulate the democratic system if the state apparatus controls the distribution of economic resources. If, as in the case of Iraq, a political arrangement, constitution, or power-sharing formula results in a specific group gaining control of the distribution of economic resources, this imbalance will be reflected in the composition of the security forces as well as in their mission and activities, and it will likely result in the emergence of (armed) actors in opposition to them.

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Burak Bilgehan Özpek

Maliki and the Need for a Free Market Economy in Iraq