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December 15, 2005
Bush Puts Rice In Charge Of Iraq Reconstruction
Topics: Iraq
President Bush announced Wednesday that the State Department would lead all US post-conflict reconstruction, replacing the role of the Pentagon in Iraq as it's been since the 2003 invasion.
The presidential directive, issued this month but announced yesterday, will also reinforce the political power of the State Department's office of reconstruction and stabilisation, with a mission to anticipate state failures, prevent conflict and lead the co-ordination of post-war efforts.Carlos Pascual, the senior State Department official heading that office, said it was "important to get on paper" that the secretary of state would be in charge of future post-war reconstruction policies and planning.
The 2003 decision to hand control of the reconstruction to the Pentagon has been widely criticised and led to a degree of inter-agency friction. State Department experts who had planned for the post-war period were pushed aside by Pentagon officials, including defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who strongly resisted the notion of nation-building.Count this as a positive move, and one that sends a strong signal to Iraqis of all political persuasions that America is there to build Iraq for Iraqis, and then leave.
Long time Hyscience readers know that we are very supportive of the war in Iraq, but the Pentagon has been in charge of reconstruction in Iraq a shade too long, and this move is both overdue and a welcome change that is certain to be a significant step forward - and welcomed by Iraqis once the dust settles from the transition from DOD to DOS. The Pentagon is great at fighting and winning wars, but DOS, properly managed as Rice is likely to do, is better at post-war reconstruction policies and planning (in short - nation building).
Posted by Richard at December 15, 2005 6:37 AM
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