By: Christina C. Benson
The Mesopotamian valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers once served as a cradle of civilization, and grew into a crossroads of commerce and culture at the intersection of strategic international trade routes.4 Today, Iraq stands at a geographic, historic, and economic crossroads. Finally emerging from decades of conflict and isolation, the country has endured three devastating wars, the demise of the Saddam Hussein regime, the end of international economic sanctions, and the protracted process of approving a constitution and forming a new democratically elected government.5 Iraq still faces massive challenges for rebuilding its legal and economic institutions and infrastructure internally, while re-engaging with regional and multilateral trading partners externally. The nation’s emergence from war, and efforts to build the foundations of stable governance and economic growth, provides a fascinating case study for analyzing new international norms espoused by the United Nations and international economic organizations promoting the “rule of law” in post-conflict countries.