TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
Visiting a prison in Sulamaniyah, Iraq, where alleged Islamic State fighters are detained (February 2017)
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After the Islamic State:
Balancing Accountability and Reconciliation in Iraq Short article summary in Lawfare United Nations University (2018) 
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Retribution or Reconciliation?
Post-Conflict Attitudes Toward Enemy Collaborators (with Kristen Kao) Conditionally accepted at The American Journal of Political Science Short article summary in The Washington Post
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This report addresses how Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities can, in the aftermath of the retaking of Mosul and other formerly IS-controlled areas, accurately and fairly distinguish between IS affiliates who pose a genuine threat to national security and civilians who merely lived and worked in areas controlled by the group. It also assesses how trust can be rebuilt in multi-religious, multi-ethnic communities, where Sunnis are feared or resented for their actual or perceived collaboration with IS, and what strategies can help bring an end to cycles of violence and revenge. It further considers whether transitional justice frameworks could offer an alternative to the dominant, highly punitive approach, by granting amnesty for individuals who are not accused of serious crimes. The report is based on fieldwork and interviews conducted in diverse locations in Iraq in April and December 2017, observations of trials of IS affiliates, and a large-scale survey of more than 1,400 residents of Mosul.
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Armed groups that seek to govern territory require the cooperation of many civilians, who are then widely perceived as enemy collaborators after conflict ends. The empirical literature on attitudes toward transitional justice focuses heavily on fighters, overlooking more nuanced understandings of proportional justice for civilian collaborators. Through a survey experiment conducted in an Iraqi city that was controlled by the Islamic State, we find that the type of collaboration an actor engages in is a strong determinant of preferences for punishment and forgiveness. While direct exposure to violence is associated with a greater desire for revenge, we argue that perceived volition behind an act is more important. Our research provides unique empirical data on the microfoundations of enemy collaborator culpability, filling a gap in the study of conflict. Our findings have important implications for policymakers seeking to balance accountability and the need for reconciliation in post-war settings.
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