Banishing the “Language of Murder, Blood and Revenge”: The EU’s Campaign Against the Death Penalty in Iraq

Sammanfattning: The abolition of the death penalty lies at the core of the EU’s human rights agenda. Iraq, a long-term partner of the EU, has one of the highest execution rates in the world. Despite the plethora of policies, agreements and strategies of the EU in its relations with Iraq, the death penalty remains unbridled and in widespread use. With human rights and the EU’s abolitionist policy constituting essential elements of the EU’s relations with third countries, it is vital to examine the extent to which this is the case in its relations with Iraq. The legitimacy of the EU as a leading promoter of the universal abolition of the death penalty is at stake. This thesis examines the subject of human rights promotion in the EU’s external actions with Iraq, focusing on the EU norm of the abolition of the death penalty. The EU as a ‘normative power’ in its relations with Iraq is analyzed. This thesis aims to answer the following questions: How has the EU’s foreign policy towards Iraq aligned with its normative objectives and human rights priorities? To what extent is the EU limited in its ability to promote the abolition of the death penalty in Iraq? The focus is on the period from 2004 onwards, as this marked the beginning of official EU-Iraq relations. The thesis concludes that the EU’s normative power is and will remain limited in its ability to bring about normative change as long as the Iraqi community and society continue to accept the death penalty as an appropriate punishment. Therefore, the EU must continually maintain its strong opposition to the death penalty by consistently addressing the death penalty in the documents with Iraq, working with the local community and civil society, and taking concrete action to provide for alternative punishments.