The Fletcher School

Leland Bowie offered Fletcher students an uneasy mix of optimism and stark reality at a December 3rd lunchtime lecture in the School’s Murrow room, sponsored by Fletcher’s Program in Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization

“[I] hope and pray that the elections go well in January, because this is what the majority of Iraqis want,” said Bowie, a Penn State University professor who worked with the Baghdad City Council in Iraq from summer 2002 to spring 2003

Through personal relationships and regular attendance of City Council meetings, Bowie gained a first-hand understanding of the daily hopes and fears of the Iraqis he worked with. Overall, he said, members of the council were idealistic and enthusiastic about the future of Iraq.

However, as would be expected, the issue of security was – and continues to be – an overriding concern. Bowie noted the frustration of many Iraqis at the US and provisional government’s inability to provide a basic level of security despite successes in the rebuilding of schools, medical facilities, and other infrastructure.

“Without that,” he said “people asked ‘why are you here?’” Bowie mentioned that coalition forces are now unable even to secure the eight-mile road between Baghdad and the airport, forcing all internationals leaving the city to do so via helicopter.

Security will clearly play a major role in the success of the upcoming elections. Bowie also highlighted the danger that the post-election governmental make-up will only include a small number of Sunni representatives. A potential Sunni boycott, the inclusion of the Iraqi diaspora vote, and an announcement by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani that Shiites have religious duty to vote could result in proportionally low levels of Sunni representation, which, Bowie warned, could further intensify insurgent violence.

Despite this, Bowie’s Iraqi friends are hopeful that the January elections will allow for the creation of legitimate government. They are ready, he said, for some semblance of normalcy.

In his lecture and during the subsequent question and answer session, Bowie also highlighted a number of problems with US approaches that had struck him during his stay in Baghdad.

One major issue he discussed was the makeup and attitude of the Coalition Provisional Authority(CPA.) According to Bowie, “ideologically driven” professionals in their mid-20s were recruited from the Heritage Foundation and other conservative think tanks and given high-level positions within the CPA. Bowie said that not only did these professionals know little about the region, but many had an “arrogant” attitude and failed to listen to Iraqis. Furthermore, the frequent rotation of personnel made it difficult to establish local relationships and understanding.

Bowie also recalled the decision made by CPA head Paul Bremer to institute a US-style electoral process. Bowie remembered attempting to explain the complicated caucus procedures to the city council, and to quell their fears (which may have been justified, he believes) that the system was simply an elaborate means to boost CPA-backed candidates. Ultimately, large-scale public demonstrations led by Sistani swayed the decision of Bremer.

The Baghdad city council was also perturbed by the large contracts awarded U.S. firms, such as Bechtel and Halliburton, Bowie said. In one council meeting, members complained to a Bechtel representative that although it had painted the walls in local schools, it had left untouched the schools’ foundering sewage systems. When council members asked why little grant money had “trickled down” to local contractors, the representative replied that 70 percent of the work was contracted out to Iraqis. Bowie recalled his frustration that no one asked what percentage of the contract money actually was passed on. When the same Bechtel representative was asked the question in a recent congressional hearing, he replied that the answer was classified.

Bowie finished the lunch by relating a final anecdote that, he said, revealed the “clash of cultures” between members of the US military and Baghdadi civilians. During the first day of Ramadan, 2002, US soldiers guarding the ministry of oil decided for the first time to bring a police dog to the building’s security checkpoint. In Iraq, dogs are rarely kept as pets and are likely to inspire fear. When one Iraqi female employee entered the checkpoint, she was frightened by the dog and reached for her purse to leave. A US soldier, fearful of her intentions, grabbed the bag, and a tugging match ensued. The bag opened, and a copy of the Koran fell out, which the dog began sniffing. Immediately, said Bowie, the surrounding group of 200 ministry employees – all chosen and vetted by the US - transformed into a screaming mob, raging about US transgressions against Islam.

In the face of divisions, failures and continuing fears, however, Bowie says that he remains optimistic. “In our field,” he said, “you have to.”

Article by Anika Binnendijk MALD '06