Replication Data for: Detention as a Peacemaking Strategy: The 2007-08 Iraq Surge and US Detention Policy

The surge in Iraq was a key foreign policy decision of the past decade. Its success prompted a second surge into Afghanistan by a new president a few years later. The success of the Iraq surge has prompted work by academics and policymakers alike. One aspect of the success of the surge has been underplayed by both groups – the role played by the detention of individuals and the changes in detention policy that accompanied the surge. This paper develops an informal model of intergroup conflict to explain why detention by a third party actor can be vital to ending intergroup conflict. The surge and its elements are then examined within the context of this model framework. The framework provides a more complete explanation of the mechanisms for ending sectarian violence than previous post mortems.