Reconciling the Iraqi nation : a rhetorical analysis of Nūrī al-Mālikī’s political discourse

Abstract

This article seeks to investigate the political rhetoric used by the ex-Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq Nūrī al-Mālikī between 2006 and 2014 from a discourse-analytical perspective. The overarching argument is that al-Mālikī attempts to fulfil his political promise of national reconciliation by resorting to a rhetoric based on three principles: the topos of history, the glorification of Iraq and religion. The main objective of this article is to explore recurrent rhetorical features deployed by the politician in an attempt to reunite a country, which was in a political process of social transformation. This analysis is carried out against the backdrop of the political circumstances of Iraq during al-Mālikī’s time in his term as a Prime Minister.