Throughout the history of our world, political theories have governed nations great and small; regulating the teeming masses. In the under-developed third world country of Iraq the only apparent governing political theory was terrorism and a cult like hierarchy that left Iraq in a swarm of U.S. bound hatred. In the literary work by John Isbister, Promises Not Kept, a different angle is shown in the political melting pot that is Iraq. After analyzing the work of John Isbister, six political theories have been discovered: the modernization theory, imperialism, nationalism, globalization, foreign policy, and economic development. Through my analyzation, I was able to come to a conclusion on the implementation of these theories into the country of Iraq. .
The modernization theory and globalization are ideas that hold true to the society of Iraq. The modernization theory is the fundamental proposition that people in traditional societies should adopt the characteristics of modern societies in order to modernize their social, political and economic institutions . This is also related to globalization and westernization. Globalization is the name for the process of increasing the connectivity and interdependence of the world's markets and businesses . The biggest influence that was made on Iraq was from the Western world. This influence came first in the form of transportation and the switch to cash crop production for export. As this was happening, the population of traveling people decreased and the sedentary population increased, particularly in the south. As this was occurring, production increased and consequently so did exports and earnings. The society was changing from pastoral to agricultural, subsistence to commercial, tribal-communal to landlord. Marketing towns increased and handicraft industries were eradicated. It also marked the urban growth with a mercantile and bureaucratic-administrative character that is still a strong feature of Iraqi society.
