I thought it was ill advised to invade Iraq. But we did it. And now there is a responsibility to rebuild and leave honorably.
I have worked on overseas development projects for 27 years. Each has been difficult even though conditions were nothing like they are going to be in Iraq when we leave. To just have basic peace (to say nothing of the rule of law, some form of democracy and predictable human interactions), you need minimum conditions of human existence. Conversely, to build acceptable conditions for life (physical, organizational, political and social) you need to have peace. Even with peace in place, development is complicated and longterm.
Predictable peace will not be obtained in Iraq for some time. Iraq's physical, organizational, political and social development is going to have to be addressed in a tough situation - even if we are there militarily. If we are able to help Iraq redevelop, it may take decades.
Part of what we wanted to accomplish in Iraq was self determination. It would not be right then for us to dictate what they become. That would not be ethical and would discourage internationalization. But Iraq is not in a position to undertake development alone. Even if they were all singing from the same book.
The first step will be to establish Iraq's capacity to undertake its own re-creation. Matters like centralization/decentralization, roles and responsibilities, systems of public service delivery, rules for fair commerce and standards related to work, services, resource generation and sharing will need painstaking attention.
Throughout much of 2004, I was next door to Iraq in Jordan. Specialists from international agencies were attempting to be of assistance to Iraq from Jordan because it was too dangerous in Iraq. Iraqi officials came to work with them in Jordan. None of them felt this satisfactory or effective. Now apparently, the U.S. Military is engaging in development work. One has to hand it to them. Even professionals would find it tough to help the Iraqis address their many challenges. Even civilians would have a difficult time generating trust, acceptance and professional credibility. It is hard for an order keeper to have the relationships necessary for cooperative development.
If we cannot help the Iraqis, because law and order is not sufficiently established, a ragged development will happen, likely resulting in inequitable and entrenched power and privilege, inappropriate and wasteful appointments, inefficient and unprofessional operations, pervasive corruption, an unempowered middle class, rampant misuse of authority, disinterest in collaboration and demoralization.
This is not an argument for longterm U.S. occupation. It is a recognition of the need for some kind of arrangement which will allow order to prevail, within which the Iraqis can creatively rebuild their country. It is our responsibility to somehow see to this. Our leaders in Congress and the Administration must present us with detailed possibilities to address this need.
Russell lives in Moravia
Predictable peace will not be obtained in Iraq for some time. Iraq's physical, organizational, political and social development is going to have to be addressed in a tough situation - even if we are there militarily. If we are able to help Iraq redevelop, it may take decades.
Part of what we wanted to accomplish in Iraq was self determination. It would not be right then for us to dictate what they become. That would not be ethical and would discourage internationalization. But Iraq is not in a position to undertake development alone. Even if they were all singing from the same book.
The first step will be to establish Iraq's capacity to undertake its own re-creation. Matters like centralization/decentralization, roles and responsibilities, systems of public service delivery, rules for fair commerce and standards related to work, services, resource generation and sharing will need painstaking attention.
Throughout much of 2004, I was next door to Iraq in Jordan. Specialists from international agencies were attempting to be of assistance to Iraq from Jordan because it was too dangerous in Iraq. Iraqi officials came to work with them in Jordan. None of them felt this satisfactory or effective. Now apparently, the U.S. Military is engaging in development work. One has to hand it to them. Even professionals would find it tough to help the Iraqis address their many challenges. Even civilians would have a difficult time generating trust, acceptance and professional credibility. It is hard for an order keeper to have the relationships necessary for cooperative development.
If we cannot help the Iraqis, because law and order is not sufficiently established, a ragged development will happen, likely resulting in inequitable and entrenched power and privilege, inappropriate and wasteful appointments, inefficient and unprofessional operations, pervasive corruption, an unempowered middle class, rampant misuse of authority, disinterest in collaboration and demoralization.
This is not an argument for longterm U.S. occupation. It is a recognition of the need for some kind of arrangement which will allow order to prevail, within which the Iraqis can creatively rebuild their country. It is our responsibility to somehow see to this. Our leaders in Congress and the Administration must present us with detailed possibilities to address this need.
Russell lives in Moravia