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New York Times Op-Ed
The New York Times today featured my Op-Ed in both its online and New York print editions.I wrote, in part:
On Saturday, control of the United States mission in Iraq will formally pass from the military to the State Department. But after eight years of war, Iraq is still plagued by corruption, sectarianism and violence. And after a year spent in the desert outside Baghdad as the leader of two State Department Provincial Reconstruction Teams, I don’t have much faith that the department can turn things around. We closed down our operations last September as part of normalizing relations, and I am still haunted by the Iraqis we left behind. No matter the strategic value of the war, our legacy will be written in those human lives.
You can read the whole piece without a subscription online.
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SPHA said...
1I also served with a PRT and was also embedded with US forces Baghdad suburbs and met you on a few occasions, mostly in NEC/DFAC. I would like to comment that State department has no clue about reconstruction, with career diplomats trying to write as many cables as possible and manage SME’s, many of whom were total misfits like a vetenarian who was serving as a senior health advisor and trying to teach Iraqis how to do surgical procedures. Just a simple google search and Iraqis knew the background of this person. Many of the BBA’s were not even Iraqis who were paid big bucks and local Iraqis hated them. Maybe more later……..
09/30/11 4:05 PM | Comment Link
Stephen Galatti said...
2Thank you. Woulds that we could put Sen McCain in a room and not let hime out until he had read this aloud for twnty five times.
09/30/11 6:11 PM | Comment Link