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INTRODUCTION
National libraries and archives are not stagnant entities, as they are always affected by political, social and economic changes, regardless of their negative or positive nature. The policies and functions adopted by these institutions can, in their turn, influence the progress or the regress of a society, as Iraq's bitter experience has showed since the 2003 invasion. The Iraq National Library and Archive (INLA) had to adjust its roles and responsibilities in such a manner that enabled it to respond to a number of increasing challenges at cultural, social and political levels, without being subjected to any indoctrination or politicization.
Modern Iraq has inherited its social and political fragmentations from Ottoman Iraq (mid sixteenth-early twentieth century). A series of vertical divisions (i.e. the existence of diverse ethnic, religious, regional and cultural communities) and horizontal divisions (i.e. the existence of different social classes and strata) has characterized Iraqi society since the early twentieth century. The collapse of the Saddam dictatorship and the subsequent foreign interventions in Iraq's internal affairs have further deepened the cleavages and old suspicions among the three main communities, i.e. Shi'is, Sunnis and Kurds.
By reference to the experiences of INLA since 2003, the paper argues that cultural and educational institutions can not adopt an indifferent position and ignore their responsibilities. In a time of national crisis, they must play a cultural and social role in order to strengthen national unity and the social fabric of the society. The first section of the paper will examine how the former Ba'ath regime subdued INLA thoroughly with the view to impose a cultural uniformity and ideological submission. In the second section of the paper, light will be shed on the difficulties and challenges that INLA has been confronting since the downfall of the former dictator. The new policies of INLA will be discussed to emphasize its receptiveness and flexibility. In the final section, the paper will examine how INLA reacted to the outbreak of the civil war in Baghdad during the period 2006-2007.
THE ROLE OF INLA UNDER THE SADDAM RULE
Between 1968 and 2003, cultural institutions in Iraq reflected the main characteristics of the former dictatorial regime in terms of their management styles, roles and responsibilities. INLA was an undemocratic institution administratively...