“A rich account of constitutional politics in Iraq informed by the author’s firsthand knowledge of the major events. In contrast with the view that emphasizes the United States as the dominant actor in shaping and implementing the Iraqi Constitution, Haider Ala Hamoudi gives emphasis to local agency, arguing persuasively that the Constitution was adapted to meet local needs.”

Tom Ginsburg, University of Chicago

“An essential guide for all those working to reconstruct a new constitutional order out of the turmoil of the Arab Spring. Haider Ala Hamoudi meticulously lays out the process by which Iraq’s own constitution-writing process evolved, bringing together fundamentally different understandings of the structure and functioning of the state into one generally agreed upon, though still imperfect, set of ground rules. Hamoudi makes the convincing case that developing constitutions for deeply divided societies emerging out of civil conflicts should be best approached cautiously and deliberately, with an emphasis on points of agreement rather than disagreement. This is an important work and a major contribution to Iraq and Arab studies, as well as to the broader field of constitutional theory and practice.”

Ali Allawi, author of The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace, former Iraqi Minister of Trade

“The question Hamoudi asks in Negotiating in Civil Conflict is why the Iraqi Constitution was so successful. Using unique primary resources, collected at the time of the negotiations, and Hamoudi’s personal experiences as an adviser to the Iraq Constitutional Review Committee in 2009, the book goes behind the scenes at the negotiations, investigates the aims and motives of the delegates, and starts to read between the lines of the Constitutional text."

LSE Review of Books

“Well written and argued and full of new information. . . . Without denying the dysfunction of political and economic developments in Iraq, [Hamoudi] presents the constitution as the one dimension in Iraq’s post-occupation period that has succeeded to an extent. While he does regard the negotiations that have led to the constitutional outcome as “imperfect,” he sees a positive dimension here as well: namely the adoption of an incremental method of constitutional development, made possible by these very imperfections.”

Global Law Books

“A richly detailed analysis. . . . Negotiating in Civil Conflict provides a valuable resource for understanding the motivations and bargains that produced Iraq’s constitution, and its controversial perspective on the constitution’s success will no doubt encourage further discussion and debate on the topic.”

Perspectives on Politics