Hard Lessons; The Iraq Reconstruction Experience

Bowen, Stuart W., Jr.

ISBN 10: 0160808170 / ISBN 13: 9780160808173

Published by U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 2009

About this Item

456, [4] pages. Cover has some wear, soiling and corner creases. Inscribed to Gary Thomas and dated by the author who was the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). Includes Preface, Key U.S. Figures in Iraq Reconstruction, Acronyms, Map of Iraq, Part 1: Planning for Postwar Iraq, Part II: The Coalition Provisional Authority Leads Reconstruction; Part III: The U.S. Embassy Takes Charge; Part IV: Overcoming Roadblocks to Reconstruction; Part V: Lessons Learned; Annexes: The Genesis and Methodology of Hard Lessons; Oversight of Reconstruction Programs and Expenditures. Also includes Acknowledgments and Notes. Stuart W. Bowen Jr. (born March 24, 1958), is an American lawyer who served as the SIGIR from October 2004 to October 2013. He previously served as the Inspector General for the Coalition Provisional Authority. His mission included ensuring oversight of the $63 billion appropriated for relief and reconstruction. Hard Lessons reviews the Iraq reconstruction experience from mid-2002 through the fall of 2008. Like SIGIR's previous lessons learned reports, this study is not an audit. Rather, it arises from our congressional mandate to provide "advice and recommendations on policies to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness" in programs created for Iraq's relief and reconstruction. The report presents a chronological history of the reconstruction program, threading together a number of themes including: - the enormous challenges that security problems posed for rebuilding efforts - the dramatic and frequently reactive course-changes in reconstruction strategy - the turbulence engendered by continual personnel turnover at every level - the waste caused by inadequate contracting and program management practices - the poor integration of interagency efforts caused by weak unity of command and inconsistent unity of effort. The text of this report-through vignette, interview, and factual detail-explicates these themes by, in turn, laying out the blinkered and disjointed prewar planning for postwar Iraq; the CPA's large and ultimately too ambitious expansion of the reconstruction program; the security-driven reprogrammings required by the exploding insurgency; the strongly resourced response of the surge; and the rise of Iraq's role in its own reconstruction. Hard Lessons answers some important questions about the U.S. relief and reconstruction program in Iraq: - Did the program meet the goals it set for itself? Was the program grossly burdened by waste and fraud? Why did reconstruction efforts so often fail to meet their mark? The research for Hard Lessons comprised interviews with hundreds of individuals and the review of thousands of documents. SIGIR reached out to virtually every major player in the Iraq reconstruction experience and almost all agreed to be interviewed or provide useful responses. Among others, Secretaries Powell, Rumsfeld, Gates, and Rice; USAID Administrator Natsios and Deputy Administrator Kunder; Deputy Secretaries Wolfowitz, England, Armitage and Negroponte; Under Secretary Feith; Ambassadors Bremer, Khalilzad, Crocker, Jeffrey, Satterfield, Speckhard, Taylor, and Saloom; and Generals Garner, Abizaid, McKiernan, Strock, Eaton, Sanchez, Casey, Petraeus, Odierno, Chiarelli, Dempsey, and McCoy were all interviewed by SIGIR or gave helpful information or advice. We also interviewed Iraqi leaders, including former Prime Ministers Allawi and Ja'afari, Deputy Prime Ministers Chalabi and Salih, Ambassador Sumaida'ie, Judge Radhi, and Minister Baban. Equally important to the study, SIGIR staff interviewed hundreds of military members, government officials, and civilian contractors who carried out the "brick and mortar" work of Iraq's relief and reconstruction. The report also draws on the body of SIGIR audits, inspections, and investigations, as well as reports from other investigative bodies.

Seller Inventory # 79111

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Hard Lessons; The Iraq Reconstruction Experience
• Publisher: U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0160808170
• ISBN 13: 9780160808173
• Binding: Trade paperback
• Edition: Presumed First Edition.
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

Product Description:

The billions of dollars expended in Iraq constitute the largest relief and reconstruction exercise in American history.  SIGIR’s lessons learned capping report characterizes this effort in four phases (pre-war to ORHA, CPA, post-CPA/Negroponte era, and Khalilzad, Crocker, and the Surge).  From this history, SIGIR forwards a series of conclusions and recommendations for Congress to consider when organizing for the next post-conflict reconstruction situation.

 Over the past five years, the United States has provided nearly fifty billion dollars for the relief and reconstruction of Iraq. This unprecedented rebuilding program, implemented after the March 2003 invasion, was developed to restore Iraq’s essential services, build Iraq’s security forces, create a market-based economy, and establish a democratic government—all in pursuit of U.S. interests in a stable and free Iraq. Did the U.S. rebuilding program achieve its objectives? Was the money provided well-spent or wasted? What lessons have we learned from the experience?

Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, a report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), answers these and other important questions by presenting a comprehensive history of the U.S. program, chiefly derived from SIGIR’s body of extensive oversight work in Iraq, hundreds of interviews with key figures involved with the reconstruction program, and thousands of documents evidencing the reconstruction work that was – or was not - done. The report examines the limited pre-war planning for reconstruction, the shift from a large infrastructure program to a more community-based one, and the success of the “Surge” in 2007 and beyond. Hard Lessons concludes that the U.S. government did not have the structure or resources in place to execute the mammoth relief and reconstruction plan it took on in 2003. The lessons learned from this experience create a basis for reviewing and reforming the U.S. approach to contingency relief and reconstruction operations.

 

About the Author

The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) was created in October 2004 by a congressional amendment to Public Law 108-106. The amendment gives SIGIR authority to oversee Iraq reconstruction programs and operations. Specifically, SIGIR is mandated with the oversight responsibility of the use, and potential misuse, of the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund and all obligations, expenditures, and revenues associated with reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in Iraq. SIGIR reports administratively to the Secretaries of State and Defense. SIGIR provides quarterly and semi-annual reports directly to the U.S. Congress.