1. Debaathification
1.1. dismantle the ba’ath party control over state institutions
1.2. CPA order 2: disband Iraqi army
1.2.1. security vacuum: arms depots were unguarded and raided + 400000 trained, armed and unemployed men were angry -> upsurge in violence
1.2.2. many of these well-experienced Sunni commanders later on filled the higher ranks of ISIS, proffering a wealth of military knowledge
1.2.3. Battle of the fallujah : 17 killed, 70 wounded
1.2.4. unskilled Shiites replaced as soldiers, comparably lacking in military knowledge, weak
1.3. CPA order 1: unemployment of Baathists
1.3.1. 1/2 million civil servants jobless; 385,000 armed forces. 285,000 police; 50,000 in presidential security units. 35,000 to 100,000 permanently barred from employment including civil servants, policemen, soldiers, teachers and doctors. unemployment rate 40%
1.3.2. US failed to realise many were in Baath party only because membership was required for employment -> did not actually support, just needed income
1.3.3. sudden loss of power isolated Sunni minority, deepened sectarian tension (power inverted to Shiites) -> link to social exclusion
2. IDEOLOGY (how it leads to violence)
2.1. 1. Reduces moral inhibitors 2. Justifies resort to extreme actions 3. Indiscriminate high-casualty attacks
3. Abu ghraib
3.1. detention centre for captured Iraqi suspected to be linked to Saddam
3.2. violation of human rights, torture and rape and abuse: forced to engage in degrading acts and scared with dogs, etc. many of which were against Islamic beliefs
3.2.1. US did not care and respect their culture and disregarded their lives completely
3.2.2. against their original goals to allow iraq to have religious tolerance. (mockery)
3.3. 70% to 90% was wrongly detained and all sunnis (specifically targetted) - discrimination against Sunnis, injustice, resulted in more hatred towards US
3.3.1. sparked anti-west sentiments amongst global Sunni community, allowed many to buy into the anti-west ideology of ISIS
4. Al Maliki
4.1. US appointed him in hopes that he will assist the US push towards democracy in Iraq
4.2. But he was authoritarian, exercised systematic oppression and discriminated against Sunnis
4.2.1. stemming from the fact that US failed to see that democracy will not work in the time period where the sunni-shia divide tension was high
4.2.2. discredited and removed Sunni leaders so Sunnis had no political representation/freedom -> no means to fight for their rights
4.2.2.1. Construction of corrupt and ineffective state institutions.
4.2.3. discrimination: ethnic cleansing -> killed thousands of sunnis, 2003 45% sunni to 2007 25% sunnis
4.2.4. fired talented Sunnis commanders and replaced with compliant troops (mostly Shias) that were inexperienced and incompetent