After decades of totalitarian repression the people of Iraq have begun to actively participate in the political reshaping of their country into a free and prosperous one. Critical to the success of this new found hope is the emergence and strengthening of a civil society that will mediate relations between citizens and the state, holding the latter accountable to the former. Indeed, Iraq has seen a proliferation of non-governmental organizations and civic-based initiatives. It is this third sector that will serve as a democratic bulwark against the resurgence of dictatorship.

While thousands of NGOs have emerged, few have developed even a modicum of institutional capacity. As such the civic sector is weak and unprepared to assume a critical role. Meanwhile, political parties, themselves barely democratic, are increasingly dominating the public sphere, manoeuvring for political power.