Imperialism by Elite Co-Optation: US Strategies, Iraqi Non-Governing Elites, and the Dismantling of the Iraqi State (1990–2005)

The US-imposed remaking of Iraq in 2003 was made possible through a hegemonic strategy centered on the co-optation of opposition elites. Although the literature acknowledges this transnational relationship, it has not systematically identified the individuals who composed the opposition elite or examined the political meanings of their collaboration with US imperialism. This article addresses that by asking: who composed the Iraqi opposition elite, and how did these actors participate politically and strategically in the US-led hegemonic project to dismantle the Iraqi state? Through qualitative analysis of Iraqi anti-Ba’athist elite networks, the study identifies these opposition leaders, their political organizations, and how they had worked with US efforts in Iraq since the 1990s. These elites played central roles in Iraq’s post-2003 de-development and neoliberalization under occupation, as well as in the formation of the government established under the 2005 Constitution. Although this project did not fully incorporate Iraq into the US sphere of influence, it removed Iraq as a perceived threat and dismantled key foundations of Iraqi sovereignty. The fragmented political order and neoliberal institutions that emerged from this process continue to reproduce external dependency, functioning as mechanisms of US imperialism in the Middle East.