My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope [Abridged, Audiobook] [CD]

Bremer was appointed head of the CPA. Bremer did not speak Arabic, had never served in an Arab country, knew virtually nothing about Iraq (its economy, political structure, ethnic/religious divides, etc.) and perhaps more critically, Bremer had never managed a major program or corporation thus lacking critical management skills. His leadership of the CPA must go down as one of the most disastrous failures in US foreign policy. Many of the problems now facing the USA in Iraq can directly be attributed to decisions made and executed by Bremer. In many ways Bremer reminds one of "Heck-of-a-job" Brown during the Katrina crises. Both were decent men, both took their jobs seriously and both were strikning examples of the "Peter principle"- rising to their respective levels of incompetence.

However, as one of the other reviewers noted, this is a must read for anyone attempting to understand this phase of the US occupation of Iraq. There is no doubt that Mr. Bremer took his role seriously and worked very hard at his task. Sadly, he very conceit and self confidence brought about the disaster of today's Iraq. As Caesar's wife Portia notes..."you are consumed with confidence" when she urges him to forbear going to the Senate. Caesar's over confidence was Rome's tragedy that resulted in endless civil war. Bremer's self confidence has brought a similar result. We know, for example, that he ordered the disbanding of the Iraqi army. In his book, however, he pretends that the order was simply a formality- that the army had self imploded. However, what he does not admit is that key officers of the Iraqi army were already in negotiations to call back their units under US supervision. Moreover, he then decides not to pay pensions to the disbanded army thereby throwing hundred of thousands of Iraqi families into poverty. He disbands the Baa'th Party without having any understanding that virtually every civil servant, doctor, teacher, etc. was a member of the Party. His actions threw what was left of Iraq's functioning government into absolute chaos. He imposes a parliamentarian system of government on the Iraqis without any appreciation that Iraqi political society has fragmented into sectarian lines. Bremer is a sad figure. He will go down into his history as one of history's great incompetence. Although, General Franks, Doug Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Don Rumsfeld or the current "Idiot-in-Chief" may vie for that spot! Read this work and weep for the more than 25,000 Americans killed and wounded and the several hundred thousand Iraqis needlessly dead today for this travesty that we call "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

I think that this is one of the important books of the Iraq war. Bremer is perhaps the most important figure of the most important part of it, namely, the attempted reconstruction of the country. This book describes his efforts toward that end, and attempts to justify his decisions.

Unfortunately, the effort is a disaster. Bremer really didn't have much experience with this kind of work, and it appears clear from the beginning that right-wing ideology was the driving factor in his decision making -- and most of these decisions suffered for that. For instance, Bremer refused to re-open the state-run businesses, because he thought the private sector should run all business -- this immediately threw tens of thousands of people out of work. Similarly, the draconian de-Baathification forced almost all qualified managers from their jobs. Bremer also, and I think unforgivably, doesn't spend any time comparing this attempted rebuilding to the very successful post WW II efforts. In particular, the de-Baathification seems to have been based on the de-Nazification in Germany, without really looking too closely at what might be different between Iraq and Germany.

Still, it's an interesting book, and a point of view that should be a part of any study of the war. The book could well have been 10 times as long, and it would be interesting to see what parts were edited out. I share others recommendations of "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" as a great companion book.

Read this book with Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Imperial Life to get the full impact of Bremer's story. Pay attention to the details Bremer glosses over, like what Bernie Kerik did (the guy in charge of rebuilding Iraq police). Ignored is the background and selection process of the people who served Bremer and how "loyalists" were more valued over experience and skill.

At times selective in the facts and other times ignorant, this book is useful only in reading the perceptions of reality the viceroy of Iraq held.