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Brookings: “Civilian Surge” in Iraq?
FrontLines - March 2009
The need for a “civilian surge for Iraq” was the focus of a symposium
at the Brookings Institution recently at which USAID and other experts voiced the need to create jobs and restore Iraq’s economy.
“Jobs, jobs, and jobs,” is the paramount priority said USAID’s Jeanne Pryor, deputy director of the Iraq Office.
Iraq’s rich resources, including
oil and farmland, can be exploited to provide jobs once violence ends, she said, adding that Iraqis are “incredibly courageous,”
educated and entrepreneurial.
The panel agreed that Iraqis must take the lead in determining
their own future.
The panel coincides with a major reassessment of U.S. Iraq policy, affected in part by elections in both countries that have transformed the public debate. The new administration in Washington has pledged to draw down troops there, while the initial results of Iraq’s provincial elections has sparked a cautious optimism for a politically more united country and a more stable society.
Up until now, the debate has taken place largely in military terms. But civilian assistance programs
will likely be key to Iraq’s long-term stabilization and democratic
development.
At the Jan. 30 Brookings symposium, leading experts discussed
“A Civilian Surge for Iraq.” Panelists included USAID’s Pryor, Ambassador Henry Clarke, a former head of the Office of Provincial Affairs; Brig. Gen. David Reist, USMC, who was involved in the pacification
of Anbar province; Rabih Torbay
of the NGO International Medical Corps, and representatives
of the U.N. High Commission for Refugees.
Reist cautioned against looking at Iraq through American biases and stereotypes instead of working
with the tribal culture. Clarke stressed the importance of engaging
local governments because the complexity of the country defies a “cookie cutter” approach and because of the need to deconstruct the centralized totalitarianism that was the legacy of former Iraq President Saddam Hussein.
Torbay pointed to the necessity
of providing essential services
and conducting a “needs assessment.” The insurgency had effectively short-circuited projects
to provide water, sanitation, health, and food following decades of sanctions and war. He said that any civilian surge must be a “smart surge” and that this was not merely “a question of bodies alone” but of building technical capacity within the Iraqi society.
Solving the refugee problem and accommodating the needs of approximately 2.5 million to 3 million internally displaced persons
(IDPs) will be one of the ultimate tests. Currently, only about 10 percent of returned IDPs manage to earn a living.
“A calibrated return of those living
abroad” was also mentioned during the discussion. Worst case scenarios also have to be planned for, making sure that neighboring countries remain willing and able to absorb any new refugees should there be a relapse into violence and a further
exodus of Iraqis.
★ – J.W.
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by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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