Understanding the Future of Iraq: A Grassroots Perspective

In the face of continued global instability, we must pursue alternative approaches to the status quo of resource and labor exploitation, which benefit the few on the backs of the many. However, shifting current paradigms requires a critical and holistic analysis of the foundations that created these conditions. This study presents a preliminary means to reframing international behavior into one based in feminist inclusiveness rather than patriarchal dominance. Towards that end, this study posed the question: "How do the past experiences of female displaced Iraqis located in the United States shape their vision for the future of their country of origin?" I utilized photo-elicitation based interviews with four displaced Iraqi women located in the United States. The study first presents a historical overview of Western-Iraqi relations, arguing that the governmental and economic structures introduced to Iraq through British colonization undermined the traditional models under which the region had harmoniously existed for thousands of years. Situated within that context, the data elicited explore these women's positionality between old and new hegemonic narratives in light of neoliberalism vs. collectivism, formation of cultural identity, and rhetorical understandings of the events of 2003. The study concludes with recommendations for future, more inclusionary global models