Past is prologue : abroad in Syria with the ghosts of Iraq / David Alpher.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Alpher, David, Ph. D., author.

Contributor:

Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, issuing body.

Army War College (U.S.). Press, publisher.

Series:

PKSOI papers

PKSOI paper

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance.

Coalition Provisional Authority.

Postwar reconstruction--Iraq.

Postwar reconstruction.

Postwar reconstruction--Case studies.

United States--Armed Forces--Iraq--Stability operations.

United States.

United States--Armed Forces--Stability operations--Case studies.

Armed Forces--Stability operations.

Iraq.

Genre:

Case studies

Case studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vi, 80 pages)

Place of Publication:

Carlisle, PA : Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, United States Army War College, 2017.

Summary:

"In the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the short-lived Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) briefly held a mandate to lead post-war reconstruction efforts. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) under L. Paul Bremer replaced ORHA before its plans could be implemented. Autopsies of replacing the ORHA and the consequences of the CPA's subsequent handling of the Iraq mission abound, but they focused on the Iraq mission as a historical narrative. However, the United States (US) now faces a lengthening list of probable reconstruction and stabilization (R&S) missions in the near future. Rather than burying the autopsies, the contrast between ORHA's plans and the CPA's implementation offers instructive lessons for future R&S missions. Such a study is of paramount importance as the short list of countries likely to need R&S assistance includes Syria, Libya, Yemen, Central African Republic and South Sudan as well as, sadly, Iraq again. Whether or not the US military is deployed to bring an end to the crises, failure to assist in R&S processes following a ceasefire is not an option. The power vacuums that follow crisis are a perfect breeding ground for extremism, transnational crime and recurrent violence, all of which have international, as well as national and regional security ramifications"--Publisher's web site.

Contents:

Introduction. Past is prologue

Towards a working set of principles : ORHA and CPA's differences and their implications on future principles

Duration of planning

Planning depends on analysis, not the other way around

Duration of operations

Identify and use/reform what exists as much as possible, rather than attempting to replace it

The mundane counts more than the philosophical

Reconstruction is a civil issue with a military component, not a military issue with a civi component

Remember history

Reconstruction, development and diplomatic initiatives require at least as much funding and resources as any military initiative

Post-2003 elements that must be added to consideration : peacebuilding and the Material Support Act

NGO involvement, unity of effort and the 360-degree battlespace

Phase zero

Reexamining "governance reform"

What is good governance?

Why change our conceptions?

The components of governance process

Fit for purpose governance

Beware the lure of short-term gains

Level the playing field

Root out patterns of exclusion

Build up, don't supplant

Expand the scope of monitoring and evaluation

Recognize security needs differ depending upon perspective

Different parts of a country will respond to governance and government differently; needs should be determined locally, not nationally

Conclusions.

Notes:

"January 2017."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 69-80).

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (PKSOI, viewed March 13, 2017).

OCLC:

975285426