The business of recycling war scrap: the Hashd al-Sha士abi바카라 사이트檚 role in Mosul바카라 사이트檚 post-conflict economy
The modalities of the scrap trade reflect a larger struggle for power and how seemingly marginal processes impact the future balance within the city
Abstract
The modalities of the scrap trade reflect a larger struggle for power in post-ISIS Mosul, and how seemingly marginal processes can and will impact the future balance within the city. On the local level, the scrap trade has become a monopoly, disrupting the ability of residents to profit from this very lucrative material. By co-opting local economic processes, various actors stifled trade and reshaped the very ways in which economic activities are conducted. Reconstruction efforts have suffered as a result, with resources squandered and prices distorted. However, the normalisation of extractive and rent-seeking activities affects more than Mosul바카라 사이트檚 economy; it disrupts Iraq바카라 사이트檚 ability to diversify its economy through industrial growth. By co-opting trade networks and controlling mobility, the Hashd al-Sha士abi (바카라 사이트榯he Hashd바카라 사이트�, or PMF) has expanded informal systems and processes, strengthening ties between the security, political, and economic elites seeking only to extract wealth. The Hashd바카라 사이트檚 involvement in the scrap trade, operating in juncture with local political support, are a symptom of a much larger condition 바카라 사이트� the pervasive culture of corruption in Iraq바카라 사이트檚 political and economic life. They simultaneously enable and operate in a system that breeds instability, hinders social, political and economic growth, and hinders attempts for recovery.
This work is part of the Conflict Research Programme managed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and funded by the UK Department for International Development
Citation
Gotts, Isadora (2020) The business of recycling war scrap: the Hashd al-Sha士abi바카라 사이트檚 role in Mosul바카라 사이트檚 post-conflict economy. LSE Middle East Centre Paper Series (34). Middle East Centre, LSE.