Expertise

Today members of a new Iraq Study group visited the PRT. Dr. Megan O'Sullivan chaired the entourage which included several thinkers, such as Colin Kahl, and Jeff Beals. O'Sullivan cast herself as a uniformed executive, wearing a black suit, black heeled boots, and toting a Furla purse (that I judged at around 600 bucks).

"It's a good thing we didn't 'liberate' the Iraqis," Kahl said before the meeting. "Otherwise it'd be Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL)." We sat in a high-ceilinged room surrounded by posters of Iraqi cities: Baghdad, Mosul, Samarra, and others.  No one touched the fresh fruit on the table. But the coffee was popular.

The discussion lasted about an hour and a half before the group went for a 'tour' through a Baghdad neighborhood. Almost the entire time was spent restating the question: 'what level of Iraqi functionality is acceptable for Americans to leave?' After about 30 minutes, O'Sullivan interrupted to explain, "...we're here at the invitation of Ambassador Crocker and General Odierno to give a fresh perspective." Then we went back to playing with the question.

Major issues facing Iraqi reconstruction were glossed over or hardly discussed. The downsizing of critical Arabic Subject matter experts employed by the Department of Defense, known as Bilingual Bicultural Advisors (BBAs), was brought up by General Swan (4th ID) but the group remained hung up by a rubric the Department of State uses to grade Iraqi government capability. Another daunting challenge for the coalition is the incredible amount of Department of State positions filled by 'direct hires' (which I prefer to call contractors). These 'contractors' flit in and out of employment, are forced to navigate an overly-complex hiring process, and--although significant contributors to success--only prove the ad hoc nature of the Department of State's organization here.

Another profitable topic: what are the staff positions required for a Provincial Reconstruction Team, and what are their respective duties and responsibilities? These roles are in constant flux because of employee turnover and the State Department reliance on personality instead of doctrine.

PRT Baghdad is an amazingly effective organization--they have mentored the local government into a functioning organization. But often they succeed despite themselves. And greater challenges, such as the Surge's natural death, have yet to be overcome.

The General

Speaking of literature, the New Yorker recently published an article by Steve Coll about General Petraeus.  Everyone seems to agree: the General is a gentleman.  I detected some latent skepticism though--that somehow he might be a rouge soldier with cabalistic designs.  Can't American's just be good at winning?

During recent visits to Yusufiya the General was charismatic, informed, and attentive.  After listening to one briefing he encouraged us to continue finding ways to kill the enemy.  He also asked company commanders about their future plans--and listened patiently.

Coll's article is well written--in true New Yorker form.  Also, it's interesting to note how many influential positions, many of them interviewed in the article, are held by WestPointers.  How long before the Ivy Leagues catch on?  By not participating in the officer corps they're in danger of becoming impotent.

Columbia University has been making headlines over their refusal to allow ROTC on campus.  The President cites the mythological "Don't Ask Don't Tell" as grounds for military disdain.  I'm beginning to think it would be harder to get a Columbia grad promoted to General than officially allow gays in the military.  Somehow those two problems are related.

Rebuilding Iraq

I recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Christian Science Monitor about a ridiculous story: "What Would Really Rebuild Iraq".  I'm sure you've heard of the writer, Walter Rodgers, he provided legendary coverage of major world events such as Jimmy Carter's concession and the Falklands War.  Rodgers was also an eyewitness during the attempt on Reagan's life.  So he's been nearby when great things have happened.  He also loves stripes: 

His kind of journalism reminds me of why I love the New Yorker magazine so much.  I just read Paumgarten's article about elevators; it deepened my appreciate of the City and our urban culture--there was something revealing about his work.  Paumgarten, Frazier, Acocella, Sedaris, Buford: they are belletrists, not just writers.  They explain events and ideas; they don't just stand close by.

Anyway, back to Rodgers' opinions, we can talk style later.  I'll post my letter to the editor below.  It was published on the CSM website last week.

Dear Editor,

I was shocked to read Walter Rodgers and Yasmeen Alamiri's article lamenting school development in Iraq.  As a U.S. Army Captain in charge of projects for the Yusufiya area in South Baghdad I've had first-hand experience with local schools.  They're flourishing!  And the military, both Iraqi and American, is assisting the local government with repairing and securing schools.  As early as November last year our unit, 3-187th Infantry Regiment, paid over 140,000 dollars to renovate classrooms for over 300 students. Our unit has provided 10 other schools throughout the area with this type of assistance--which includes contracting, supervising, and paying for the work.  The Iraqi Ministry of Education has been conducting surveys, inventories, and providing equipment as well.

Supporting and enabling education and family is a priority for our unit.  We have built and repaired community centers, supplied food and clothes to needy families, dramatically improved sanitation, and installed an Iraqi staffed

radio station.  All this in addition to our regular patrols and combat operations.  Insurgents fear us not only because we are the 187th Infantry Regiment but also because we are part of the Iraqi families in our area.  We share meals together, we share hardships together, we are rebuilding Iraq together.

I'm not surprised Rodgers' evidence was anecdotal jokes and UN reports.  His other complaints about the dearth of chai and sheesha are just ridiculous.  Even in Yusufiya, a rural farm area, there's plenty chai.  In fact, if Rodgers is willing to visit I'll take him down the street to the house of Sheik Somer and we'll enjoy a cuppa.

The Monitor ended up censoring (editing) my last paragraph.  I guess Walter doesn't accept personal invites.  I looked on my computer and found a picture of us distributing new backpacks to kids last October.  We've spent almost 1 million dollars on schools in Yusufiya since.  As for the chai, you can see a picture of some at the top of this page.