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In October 2002, AEI began a conference series entitled, “The Day After: Planning for a Post-Saddam Iraq,” which raised vital questions about preparing for democracy in a new Iraqi state. Three years later, many of the original participants in that conference series hold leadership positions in the new Iraqi government. As the struggle for a free Iraq continues, the debate over the shape of post-Saddam Iraq roils on.

Democracy in Iraq under a constitution that successfully codifies and guarantees the rights of the Iraqi people could serve as a model for other Middle Eastern nations. But are we expecting too much? Will the new constitution bridge the sectarian divides that have deepened in Iraq since the collapse of the Ba’ath party? What about the role of religion and Islamic law? Could Iraqi women lose the few rights they enjoyed under Saddam Hussein?

To discuss these and other challenges to Iraq, AEI is pleased to host a day-long conference on the shape of a new Iraq and the Iraqi constitution. Speakers will include: Sheikh Afeef al-Gaylani, Islamic scholar, leader of the Tariqatul Qadriyah, and head of Darul Qadriyah International; Munthir al Fadhal, Iraqi National Assembly member; and AEI’s Danielle Pletka and Michael Rubin.

For more information on AEI’s post-Saddam Iraq series, including papers and summaries from past events, please go to http://www.aei.org/postsaddam.