Ex-envoy says Iraq rebuilding plan won't work

[jefferson_dem]

Ex-envoy says Iraq rebuilding plan won't work
By Sue Pleming

Kiki Munshi was showcased by the media in September as a seasoned U.S. diplomat who came out of retirement to lead a rebuilding group in Iraq.

Now she is back home, angry, and convinced that President George W. Bush's new strategy of doubling the number of such groups to 20 along with a troop surge of 21,500 will not help stabilize Iraq.

A diplomat for 22 years, she quit her job last month as leader of a Provincial Reconstruction Team -- groups made up of about 50 civilian and military experts that try to help Iraqi communities build their own government while strengthening moderates.

"In spite of the magnificent and often heroic work being done out there by a lot of truly wonderful people, the PRTs themselves aren't succeeding. The obstacles are too great," Munshi said this week in Washington, where she was pressing her view at the State Department and to Congress.

"Once again we are proceeding to lay people's lives on a line drawn with faulty information. Once again the fantasies of the 'policy-makers' drive decisions without much link to the realities on the ground," said Munshi, who retired from the foreign service in 2002 .

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070217/pl_nm/iraq_usa_rebuilding_dc_1

[LiberalFighter]

1. I wonder how many communities each group was responsible for building govts?

I wouldn't think it would need 50 individuals. And I wonder what the breakdown between civilian and military experts in each group. They probably overloaded the groups with too many military experts.

In my opinion, the military should not be a major part or basis of the government except for the national government. If it is community protection then they should rely on civilian law protection.