The Right to Belong

Citizenship and the Crisis of Internal Displacement Among Iraq’s Assyrians & Chaldeans

Abstract

By critically examining the relationship between citizenship, legal recognition, and internal displacement, this dissertation focuses on the Assyrian people (inclusive of Chaldeans and Syriacs) in Iraq. Following the rise of ISIS between 2014 and 2017, this paper explores how Assyrians, despite holding Iraqi citizenship, were and continue to be, systematically displaced internally and denied effective protection. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s concept of “the right to have rights” and Jürgen Habermas’ theory of juridification and communicative power, this article argues that formal legal status of citizenship alone is insufficient to guarantee political inclusion or access to rights, particularly in the context of internal displacement. While the Iraqi Constitution and international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement recognise minority rights and the protections owed to internally displaced persons (IDPs), these recognitions have not been meaningfully implemented. A significant gap is revealed between Iraq’s legal commitments and the lived experiences of internally displaced Assyrians, particularly regarding property restitution, return support, security, and political participation. Using a critical legal approach, it demonstrates that the Iraqi state’s response to internal displacement has remained largely symbolic, failing to adequately protect and restore the rights of its minority indigenous populations. Conclusively, a more substantive approach to legal recognition, integrating minority voices and addressing structural barriers to reintegration, is necessary to facilitate a safe and dignified return for displaced Assyrians to their ancestral homelands. This dissertation contributes to the broader discourse on displacement, legal citizenship, and the limits of state protection in post-conflict societies.