Why was restoring order difficult after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s government?

Restoring order following the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s government in 2003 was an arduous task due to a combination of widespread lawlessness, a burgeoning insurgency, and deep-seated sectarian divisions.

Immediately after the regime fell, Iraq’s major cities experienced rampant looting of government offices and public institutions, alongside outbreaks of common criminal violence and reprisals against former officials. These challenges were compounded by the following factors:12

• Escalating Insurgency: A pattern of guerrilla warfare emerged, involving remnants of the Baʿathist regime and foreign fighters, including affiliates of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Insurgents targeted coalition forces, new Iraqi security institutions, and critical infrastructure like oil pipelines and electrical installations.12
• Sectarian Violence: The country was engulfed in chaos as rival Shiʿi and Sunni militias engaged in brutal killings. Groups such as the Mahdi Army, led by Muqtada al-Sadr, became major destabilizing forces.12
• Economic and Structural Collapse: Decades of war and economic sanctions had left the economy in shambles, with massive debt and crippled oil production, making the rebuilding of infrastructure extremely difficult.1