Original data analysis of protests taken from under-researched platforms like the Telegram mobile app and Instagram. Unique insight provided by interviewing activists on the ground who faced tremendous challenges, physical abuse, blackmail, and detention. Significant contribution to the field by filling a major gap in literature on the Arab Spring and the recent historical development of political activism in Iraq. Since 2003 and following the U.S.-led invasion, Iraq witnessed tremendous changes to its political, social, and economic structures, and this book critically maps recent popular protests that engulfed the country and led to the death of thousands of civilian protesters. It delves into the nuances of the Iraqi socio-political context and offers a brief historical overview of political activism by investigating the internal structure of activism in the country as well as the regional and international dimensions. The study involves critical ethnographic research including interviews with Iraqi activists, social media analysis, Arabic and English news analysis, as well as in-depth assessment and contextualization of the Iraqi protests. The author argues that there is a need to call the protests an “Iraqi Spring” because of the country's unique historical, demographic, and political circumstances.
