Examining the military's role in a post-war Iraq
Major Gary Masapollo
Viewpoint: Iraq
Editor's note: The following is the second part of a two-part series considering the role the U.S. military would play in a post-war Iraq. The first part appeared on Friday.
Deployed U.S. troops should be prepared to quickly secure the Iraqi oil fields in the post-conflict period. Most experts agree that Iraqi oil revenues are being considered as the primary source of the economic, humanitarian and reconstruction assistance funds for its reconstruction projects. The uninterrupted flow of oil revenues that can be converted to payments for reconstruction projects is considered a vital interest by both U.S. State and Defense Department officials. The main task for U.S. military forces will be to protect the oil fields from sabotage by pro-Hussein forces, who set fire to the Kuwaiti oil fields back in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. While seizing the oil fields, U.S. military commanders must remain cognizant of the fact that the occupation of the oil fields by the US military is a purely short-term measure; namely in preventing their destruction. U.S. military information campaigns must initially be aimed at putting out the precise message to the Iraqi populace that the seizure is only a short term, temporary measure designed to secure the oil fields from external sabotage; and not to be construed as any permanent and imperialist occupation by the United States of Iraq's oil fields.
Transitioning power to the civil authorities: In all the post-conflict scenarios, U.S. military forces should attempt, as soon as possible, an "exit strategy" that allows for the transfer of considerable civil authority to either an internationally recognized civilian administration or to some recognized local Iraqi authorities. While customary international law will obligate U.S. military commanders to provide necessary assistance to the Iraqi people in the immediate postwar period, any direct support provided by the U.S. military should only be prepared to provide the basic humanitarian support long enough until either a local authority is established or if an international relief agency assumes the role from U.S. military forces.
A civilian administration, perhaps designated and appointed by the United Nations, could run an interim administration within Iraq until its effective transfer to a democratically recognized authority. The United Nations is currently running such interim administrations in places such as Bosnia and Kosovo. U.S. military planners are no doubt concerned about the transferring of the civil administration of Iraq over to the United Nations, which has never taken on a project of this magnitude before and has been extensively criticized by the U.S. military for their ineffective management during those past missions. In any event, with the successful transfer of an interim civil administration over to the international community, U.S. military forces can begin to directly disengage from the civil administration of Iraq. As a related result, the rapid transition of placing the civil administration into the hands of the international community would help to quell any further Arab criticisms that the U.S. military occupation is an overt attempt to control the Iraqi people and its oil fields.
Engaging the international community: Once committed, international relief agencies will play a major role to U.S. military planners in a post-conflict Iraq. International relief agencies will be desperately needed to provide the bulk of the humanitarian assistance for the Iraqi populace. Initially, displaced persons resulting from the U.S. combat operations in Iraq will need basic food and shelter from the elements. U.S. military planners, namely within the Army's Civil Affairs Command, lack the task organization required to provide the necessary support on such a level to adequately support all the Iraqi people. U.S. military commanders should be prepared to render direct humanitarian assistance to international agencies as they begin their relief operations within Iraq. Prior experience working alongside international relief agencies in previous humanitarian missions provided U.S. military planners with a wealth of practical knowledge as they task organize the available military assets (engineer, medical, signal, etc.) to work alongside international relief efforts that clear away cluttered roads, repair bridges, provide medical care, repair schools and get water and electricity restored to the Iraqi population. U.S. military planners need to provide a proactive and cooperative relationship with the international agencies if they hope to be able to successfully disengage from the civil administration of Iraq within a timely fashion.
Major Gary Masapollo is a current member of the Notre Dame Military Science Department (ROTC) faculty and is a Civil Affairs officer with the U.S. Army. Prior to being assigned to Notre Dame in 2000, he participated in U.S. Army civil-military operations in post-war Kosovo.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Monday, February 17, 2003
