Abstract:Since the American-led war of 2003, many have called for the breakup of Iraq along ethno-religious or regional lines. Among these proposals, Basra’s nonviolent, civil, and political campaign has come the closest to creating a new autonomous region. This article documents Basra’s bid for decentralization across more than a decade of complex Iraqi politics. It traces the growing popularity of the movement, examining its privileging of economic interest over ethno-religious identity, as well as its use of Iraq’s constitutional framework to advocate for the right to decentralize. Aside from the potential consequences of Basra’s autonomy, this article concludes that the modest successes of this peaceful movement are among the few promising signs for Iraq’s troubled democracy.

中文翻译：

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巴士拉争取自治权：向分散的伊拉克和平发展

摘要：自2003年以美国为首的战争以来，许多人呼吁按照种族宗教或地区路线分裂伊拉克。在这些建议中，巴士拉的非暴力，公民和政治运动最接近创建一个新的自治区。本文记录了巴士拉在十多年来复杂的伊拉克政治中争取权力下放的努力。它追溯了该运动的日益普及，考察了其在经济利益之上的超越民族宗教身份的特权，以及它利用伊拉克的宪法框架来提倡权力下放的权利。除了巴士拉自治的潜在后果外，本文得出的结论是，这场和平运动的适度成功是伊拉克陷入困境的民主政体的少数有希望的迹象之一。