Empire and Resistance - An Analysis of the Occupation of Iraq and the Iraqi Opposition and Armed Resistance

Sammanfattning: In his thesis I have analyzed the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, as well as the widespread opposition and armed resistance against the former, starting off from the assumption that the actions and policies of the occupation in many ways fosters popular opposition and armed resistance. I have analyzed the actions and policies of the occupation since the invasion as well as the aims and underlying interests that governed the choice of Iraq as the target of regime change and occupation within a post-colonial an anti-imperialist theoretical framework. The thesis is a qualitative single case study with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of the widespread resentment, as well as armed resistance, towards the American occupation of Iraq. My conclusion is that the widespread opposition and the armed resistance in Iraq, its evolvement and roots, can, in many respects, be understood and analyzed as a result and reaction to the mistakes and misbehaviours of the occupation and the Coalition forces. I have also argued that it is essential to understand the invasion and occupation of Iraq as part of a continuation of colonial/imperialist discourses and processes, most importantly in order to avoid reinforcing neo-colonial interpretations of our contemporary world.