Ten years after the U.S. invaded Iraq and 15 months after American troops withdrew from the country, Iraqi democracy is under sustained threat. The use of torture in Iraq’s prisons and police stations remains endemic: Transparency International places Iraq at 175 out of 182 countries in its annual assessment of state corruption.
On the plus side, Iraq has held three national elections since regime change, two in 2005 and one in 2010. But the protection of civil liberties, the rule of law and the veracity of the constitution have all been put under sustained attack by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. ...Middle East expert, Toby Dodge, at LSE