The Sociological Cost of Democracy: A Comparative Study of Arab Women’s Rights Using Iraqi Women Pre- and Post-2003 as an Illustrative Example

Abstract

This article examines Arab women’s rights with special reference to Iraqi women pre- and post-2003 as an illustrative example. Using content analysis of Saddam Hussein’s speeches delivered to the General Federation of Iraqi Women in 1971 and Woman magazine in 1975, it explores the claim that “The liberation of women…has been the most dramatic achievement of Saddam’s regime” (Aiyar, 2013). A literature review of various works involving NGOs, governmental agencies, field reports and the United Nations will provide a contextual framework, in addition to statistical data used within a cross-regime analysis during Iraq’s “transition-to-democracy”. This article will contribute to a greater understanding of the moral imperative of human rights protection during phases of post-occupation national reconstruction.