The Influence of Military Occupation on Insurgency in Post-Saddam Iraq: Case Studies of Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul under Occupation by U.S. and Coalition Forces

Reform enforced by an occupying power contribute to the conditions allowing for insurgency. This study hypothesizes if an occupier implements ideological reform affecting the share of power between opposing groups, then groups that suffer from reduced power in the new system will be more likely to form violent insurgencies. However, if significant ideological reform is implemented and the government provides sufficient basic social services (electricity and clean water), then violent insurgencies are less likely to form. The hypothesis was tested through a case study method analyzing three different regions within Iraq during U.S. occupation. Research was then narrowed down to one city within each region: Baghdad within the Sunni Triangle, Basra in the British-controlled south, and Mosul in the Kurdish north. Results show although insurgent violence increased overall, the level of violence differed between the three regions of Iraq due to the ethnic and religious makeup of each city