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Do You Want to Know Who the

Americans Running Iraq Really Are?

by Jan Oberg

Dissident Voice

May 21, 2003

They are people with a background in the far-right of the Republican Party, the Israel lobby, Perle and Wolfowitz henchmen, central to the war on terror, to the Homeland Defence authorities, to anti-ABM and pro-Ballistic Missile Defence (Star Wars), close to conservative think tanks, affiliated with mercenary companies, the military-industrial complex (MIC) and CIA. They are former "stabilisers" in Bosnia and Kosovo, and Marine Corps-people (many in Vietnam); they are private consulting firm executives affiliated with the inner circles of power in Washington. And, of course, several are associated with the oil industry, the computer industry as well as the media and public relations industry. With a few exceptions they are Pentagon and not State Department people, they are generals and technocrats.

Less than a handful have any prior experience in Iraq or in nation-building, conflict-resolution, reconciliation, post-war trauma healing, civil society empowerment and other quite relevant matters. In short, they are perfectly fit to "do" Iraq for the US and totally unsuitable for the Iraqis. They are not accountable to anyone, except President Bush and Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld. Their operations and decisions are not transparent to the world community or any world organisation.

The Bush regime is setting up a basically military administration in Iraq. The disputes and the infighting are coming out in the open, as reported by the Washington Post on May 4. General Jay Garner and Ambassador Bremer and a team of some 300 retired military men, diplomats and functionaries from numerous US government agencies have been recruited by the Bush regime, and especially by the Pentagon, to administer postwar Iraq. None of them are coming to Iraq as a result of democratic processes. They have been appointed in ambiguous ways to supposedly quick-fix something they call democracy among 24 million Iraqis. It's the largest nation-building project in modern times. It is supposed to create an interim government by mid-May.

Why is their presence in Iraq causing so little debate, not to speak of outrage? There are basically four reasons: 1) because they are Americans and the US is a country few dare investigate and question; 2) because the average Iraqi does not know them yet; 3) because the free press does not bother much about Iraq now that the war drama is over; and 4) because there was - and is - only an anti-war movement, not a peace movement.

Like in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, the media flock to the wars, not to the "peace"-building - like vultures feed on carrion. Unfortunately, it is now the real battle for Iraq and its future is being fought. Unfortunately, the millions of war protesters stay home now; they do not seem to be able to get their acts together in a peace movement in solidarity with the Iraqis whose resources, education, economy, society and leadership is being colonised.

No matter what the Americans tell the Iraqis and the rest of us, they will run "liberated" Iraq colonial style. Below you will learn a bit more about each of the centrally placed personalities. You are right if you wonder why you have not seen an analysis like this, systematic and with documentation, in your daily newspaper or on television. You are right if you find it strange that the media have given you much more (mostly unsubstantiated) information about 55 top Iraqis, tastelessly depicted on a deck of cards.

Only the uninformed and the politically naive, only the opportunists and the imperialists can believe that this has anything whatsoever to do with democracy or with doing good to the Iraqi people. They have suffered so terribly in their double cage, the inner cage under Saddam and the outer cage of sanctions, war and occupation. Every bit of future humanitarian aid, of civilian support and American NGO activity in Iraq will serve mainly the interests of the Bush regime and corporate America, not the needs and hopes of the Iraqis.

The Guardian could state already on April 1 that there was a secret US plan to set up 23 ministries, all run by Americans.

"The government will take over Iraq city by city. Areas declared "liberated" by General Tommy Franks will be transferred to the temporary government under the overall control of Jay Garner, the former US general appointed to head a military occupation of Iraq.

Decisions on the government's composition appear to be entirely in US hands, particularly those of Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defence. This has annoyed Gen Garner, who is officially in charge but who, according to sources close to the planning of the government has had to accept a number of controversial Iraqis in advisory roles."

This is how CNN reported the Bush plan to take over Iraq:

The Bush administration has selected a U.S. government official to oversee each Iraqi ministry that the U.S. plans to keep running after the war, CNN has learned. Each official will attempt to keep his or her ministry running with Iraqi civil servants. Some changes will be made, though, the sources said:

* The Iraqi Ministry of Information, which controls the state-run media, will be disbanded and restructured with free television, radio and print elements

* Sensitive ministries such as those overseeing justice and intelligence will be overhauled

* The Special Republican Guard and Republican Guard are to be disbanded, but the plan calls for maintaining the regular army and using its manpower during reconstruction

The plan also calls for the U.S. administration team to run a Ministry of Religious Affairs that will oversee mosques and other religious activities, the sources said.

And here are some general overviews of the main personalities, one from The Guardian, one from the Washington Post and one from National Journal. A quite comprehensive one has been published by the Sunday Herald. They are only the beginning. They do not offer the comprehensive background and necessary links that this essay does.

This PressInfo series, updated by May 14, will give you much more, with documentation based on thousands of searches on the Internet. We have used predominantly Western and American press sources exactly to show that the materials are available and but need to be put together. You may ask yourself why it is produced by TFF and not by multi-million dollar research institutes or leading media of the free press.

Here is a proposal to someone with money, a heart for the Iraqis and an ability to get into Iraq. Create a new deck of cards with portraits and descriptions in Arabic of the Americans who are unlawfully running the independent, sovereign state of Iraq, a UN member. Distribute it all around Iraq so every Iraq in even the remotest village will have a precise sense of who his and her new rulers are. And just let them draw their own conclusions.

The Americans pay the Iraqis with some prestige and money. At the moment, they promise people US$ 20 a month to work for them. Imagine how attractive that is in a country where teachers used to have US$ 3-5 a month. The Americans will undoubtedly get some things going and we can be certain that the first McDonald and Burger King will soon open in Baghdad. Quite a few Iraqis may like that what they see. But the basic point is that the freedom the Iraqis have to reconstruct and develop Iraq against the will of the Bush regime is not a bit bigger than the freedom they had to do something against the will of Saddam.

Coalition partner governments and the rest of us belonging to the West should be deeply concerned - if not ashamed of what is being done to Iraq. It's the contemporary version of a 300-year old colonial tradition. We seem to have learnt nothing. May it soon be brought to an end, for instance through a mass-based, nonviolent uprising all over Iraq that would send the people you'll meet in this essay running.

By mid-May it was announced that some of the people portrayed below were "re-assigned," "called back" or simply leaving, among them Jay Garner, the top man. That the US occupation of Iraq came off as a disaster even before it really took off is beyond doubt. The Times of London muses that Garner "surrenders control of Baghdad in a bloodless coup in the fastest regime change in Iraqi history..."

DONALD RUMSFELD, PAUL WOLFOWITZ & RICHARD PERLE

Secretaries.

Ideologists with their own Special Plans. Masters of a war meaning peace and other "Newspeak"

With the illegal war on and occupation of Iraq, the first two personalities need no further introduction. They are Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of Defence, Paul Wolfowitz.

Then there one of the leading architects of the whole Iraq imbroglio, "The Prince of Darkness", Richard Perle of the American Enterprise Institute and of the Defense Policy Board. It's objective is to "serve the public interest by providing the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary for Policy with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning major matters of defense policy. Nine members of the Board have ties to defense contractors. Further, Perle is well-connected to the international media world through Hollinger Digital Inc., the media management and investment arm of Hollinger International Inc. whose online newspapers and holdings include The Daily Telegraph in London and Jerusalem Post. Perle is also former director of the latter. He is on the board of Onset Technology, the world's leading provider of message conversion technology also with close ties to Israeli companies and investment funds. Here is a more personal interview with Perle about his background and beliefs. Perle is on the advisory board of JINSA, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Los Angeles Times recently revealed more about Perle's combined political and business interests.

There is so much about them on the Internet. The most recent - and best - related to the Iraq problematic is Seymour Hersh' Selective Intelligence from The New Yorker of May 2003. Hersh analyses "the Cabal - a small cluster of policy advisers and analysts now based in the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans. In the past year, according to former and present Bush Administration officials, their operation, which was conceived by Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, has brought about a crucial change of direction in the American intelligence community. These advisers and analysts, who began their work in the days after September 11, 2001, have produced a skein of intelligence reviews that have helped to shape public opinion and American policy toward Iraq." In addition, it discusses the pivotal influence of the political philosopher Leo Strauss on the Cabal and on the director of the Special Plans operation, Abram Shulsky who happens to be a scholarly expert on Strauss.

You may acquaint yourself with the real policy makers and Iraq pundits in a more humorous manner in Slate.

ZALMAY KALILZAD

White House special envoy for both Afghanistan and Iraq

Tremendously important behind the scenes operator

President Bush announced on December 2 the appointment of Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad as his Special Envoy and Ambassador at Large for Free Iraqis. As Special Envoy, Dr. Khalilzad will serve as the focal point for contacts and coordination among Free Iraqis for the United States Government and for preparations for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said in a statement.

"Dr. Khalilzad will continue as the Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan to ensure that the United States' commitment to working in partnership with the Afghan Government remains firm and resolute. Dr. Khalilzad also serves as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Southwest Asia, Near East and North African Affairs, National Security Council. Dr. Khalilzad will relinquish this position so as to devote full time to Afghanistan, Free Iraqis, and outreach to the Muslim community. Dr. Khalilzad will continue to serve as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for these matters," the press secretary's statement said."

Here follows a presentation of Kalilzad that shows his position in the Cheney-Rumsfeld-RAND Corporation circles:

"Dr. Khalilzad headed the Bush-Cheney Transition team for the Department of Defense and has been a Counselor to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Between 1993 and 1999, Dr. Khalilzad was Director of the Strategy, Doctrine and Force Structure program for RAND's Project Air Force. While with RAND, he founded the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Between 1991 and 1992, Dr. Khalilzad served as Assistant Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning. He also served as a senior political scientist at RAND and an associate professor at the University of California at San Diego in 1989 and 1991. From 1985 to 1989 at the Department of State, Dr. Khalilzad served as Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, advising on the Iran-Iraq War and the Soviet War in Afghanistan. From 1979 to 1989, Dr. Khalilzad was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. Dr. Khalilzad holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1979).”

National Journal says that Khalilzad is a charter member of the neoconservative group that has been pushing for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. With Paul Wolfowitz he co-wrote the 1997 Weekly Standard article "Overthrow Him" that was the rallying cry for the bring-down-Saddam cause and an early blueprint for the Bush doctrine of pre-emption. As a Pentagon aide to Wolfowitz during the administration of George H.W. Bush, Khalilzad was among those pushing for a march to Baghdad during the first Persian Gulf War. In 1988, in the final months of the Reagan administration, Khalilzad had urged Secretary of State George Shultz to explore rapprochement with Iran as a way to counter the growing influence of Iraq. Shultz, with memories of the Iran-Contra scandal still fresh, rejected the idea, but it caught on and was pursued with zeal by the Clinton administration.

In The Wall Street Journal, he called for NATO expansion, a go-slow approach to independence for East Timor, and the arming of rebel forces in Kosovo...

According to CorpWatch, Zalmay Kalalzad has a long-standing experience with Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan and elsewhere, a good understanding of the region and of the importance of the oil industry:

CorpWatch writes:

"Khalilzad became an American citizen, while serving as a key link between US imperialism and the Islamic fundamentalist mujahedin fighting the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul -- the milieu out of which both the Taliban and bin Laden's Al Qaeda group arose. He was a special advisor to the State Department during the Reagan administration, lobbying successfully for accelerated US military aid to the mujahedin, including hand-held Stinger anti-aircraft missiles which played a key role in the war. He later became undersecretary of defense in the administration of Bush's father, during the US war against Iraq, then went to the Rand Corporation, a top US military think tank.

After Bush was installed as president by a 5-4 vote of the US Supreme Court, Khalilzad headed the Bush-Cheney transition team for the Defense Department and advised incoming Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Significantly, however, he was not named to a subcabinet position, which would have required Senate confirmation and might have provoked uncomfortable questions about his role as an oil company advisor in Central Asia and intermediary with the Taliban. Instead, he was named to the National Security Council, where no confirmation vote was needed.

At the NSC Khalilzad reports to Condoleeza Rice, the national security advisor, who also served as an oil company consultant on Central Asia."

Here he gives a Breakfast Interview with David Frost, BBC and here is another portrait of Kalilzad. He is not a man afraid of making bold promises way beyond his control. The Anadolu Agency ran this report on March 20:

Khalilzad: War Will Last Short And Nothing Will Happen To Civilians; Anadolu Agency: 3/20/2003

Recalling that the U.S. attack against Iraq started, Khalilzad said that the war would last short and nothing would happen to civilian people. He added that they would also exert every kind of efforts for Iraqi people after the war.

Here is another example from timesunion.com. When the first meeting of various Iraqi groups, invited by the US, was held "in the tent" at Ur on April 15, this is what Associated Press reported Kalilzad to have said:

"The first step toward creating a postwar government took place under a white-and-gold tent at Ur, the biblical birthplace of the patriarch Abraham and the cradle of civilization itself.

Participants included Kurds and Sunni and Shiite Arabs from inside Iraq and others who spent years in exile. U.S. officials invited the groups, which picked their own representatives. White House envoy Zalmay Khalilzad assured the delegates that the United States has "no interest, absolutely no interest, in ruling Iraq. We want you to establish your own democratic system based on Iraqi traditions and values," Khalilzad said."

L. PAUL BREMER III

Ambassador, Presidential Envoy and Senior Coalition Official

Ex-Kissinger Associates, hawkish anti-terrorist and risk management expert, adviser to US Homeland Security

On May 1 it was announced that Paul Bremer III had been appointed as Presidential Envoy to Iraq and Senior Coalition Official to Iraq. This is how CNN reports the relations between Bremer and the rest:

The man who is currently in charge of overseeing Iraq's rebuilding, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, reports to Franks. But White House officials say Garner will at some point report to Bremer. The two men will work together as issues dictate, the sources said.

Bremer will likely focus on political issues, including overseeing the emergence of a provisional authority in Baghdad, while Garner will be concerned with restoring services and civil authority, Pentagon and administration officials said.

The provisional authority essentially is the "face of the U.S. government" in Iraq, Pentagon sources said.

This is how ambassador Bremer is presented by the US National Commission on Terrorism of which he served as chairman. Paul Bremer III has been Managing Director of Kissinger Associates. During a 23-year career in the American diplomatic service, Ambassador Bremer served in Asia, Africa, Europe and Washington, D.C. He was Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1983 to 1986. From 1986-1989, he served as Ambassador-at-Large for Counter-Terrorism, where he was responsible for developing and implementing America's global polices to combat terrorism. Bremer has most recently served as an adviser to Bush on the Homeland Security Advisory Council. He also serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Crisis Consulting Practice of Marsh Inc. a risk management firm. From Republicons.org we can learn that he shares many views with Perle and Wolfowitz and has staunchly anti-Iran attitudes.

In this capacity Bremer addressed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in June 2000. He said 'Iran is still the most egregious state-sponsor of terrorism, despite the election of a reformist president. The Commission is concerned that recent American gestures toward Iran could be misinterpreted as a weakening of our resolve to counter Iranian terrorism.'

The New York Times presents Ambassador Bremer in this, not all that friendly, manner.

But Mr. Bremer's appointment has raised concerns among some human rights advocates. As chairman of the Congressionally appointed National Commission on Terrorism in 2000, Mr. Bremer advocated dropping Central Intelligence Agency guidelines restricting the recruitment of sources with records of human rights abuses, over the protests of human rights groups. "His willingness to strike a deal with an abusive figure could be problematic in Iraq, if he takes a similar approach," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

Some Congressional Democrats have also questioned whether Mr. Bremer, a 61-year-old who has not been involved in a major reconstruction project before, has the proper experience and personality to lead the endeavor in a country as large and complex as Iraq.

If you want to know about the hawkish views Ambassador Bremer has about terrorism and the Arab world, see his article on what President Clinton should do if he was serious about the problem, published in Wall Street Journal in August 1996. Countries with alleged or documented relations with terrorism must expect to be smashed. Here is one "if our country gets any indication of Iranian involvement in terrorism against Americans anywhere, Iran can expect to receive the full weight of American might. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are to update target lists within Iran".

Bremer has edited books on the terrorist challenge; here is the report from the National Commission on Terrorism and he is co-author of a Heritage Foundation study on Defending the American Homeland (2002).

Ambassador Bremer reports to Donald Rumsfeld, not to Colin Powell. His deputy will be John Sawers, British ambassador to Cairo, who has been appointed as Britain's special representative to Iraq.

We have not been able to find evidence that he has any particular qualifications or experience in post-war civilian reconstruction, socio-political and economic development, nation-building or reconciliation.

TOMMY FRANKS

Commander, US Central Commend

The de facto defence minister of Iraq, "Raw country boy and college dropout" facing allegations. Not a man of many words - or empathy.

Here is the official bio of General Tommy Franks who has led the war and who entered Baghdad for the first time on April 16. This is what Newsweek wrote about him: "A college dropout, Franks can seem like a raw country boy. But he has won his stars - as well as his command of the most powerful military force in the world - by combining a sharp eye with a strong will." Unfortunately, during the Iraq war he was unable to express sympathy for the death of fellow coalition soldiers, Iraqi soldiers or civilians - as a decent soldier should [Go here and scroll down to Article 34].

As recently as February 2003, Franks faced "several allegations" according to CNN:

"Sources have told CNN that Franks, the man who would lead U.S. forces in the event of a military strike on Iraq, faces several allegations -- including one that he allowed his wife, Cathy, to be present during discussions of highly classified material."

Generally, little is known about Franks' background but he revealed parts of his personal beliefs to Esquire in 2002 and here is what CBC has about him. Franks has two deputies, Michael DeLong and John Abizaid.

Point 1 in the US Central Command's strategic goals is formulated here: Protect, promote and preserve U.S. interests in the Central Region to include the free flow of energy resources, access to regional states, freedom of navigation, and maintenance of regional stability.

PETER McPHERSON

Financial coordinator for Iraq

The man chosen to control Iraq's oil revenue, manager of Iraq's central Bank. Former USAID, Deputy Treasury Secretary and, you guessed it, energy adviser...

Former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Peter McPherson has been named financial coordinator for Iraqi reconstruction, Treasury Secretary John Snow has announced. In an April 25 news release, Snow said that McPherson will serve as the principal financial and economic policy advisor to Jay Garner, chief of the U.S. Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) in Iraq. McPherson's background includes service as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1981 to 1987. He is currently president of Michigan State University. In a separate announcement, Snow said that Treasury Deputy General Counsel George Wolfe will serve as the deputy financial coordinator of the Iraq reconstruction office. The two officials and will work closely with Iraqis to assist in rebuilding the finance ministry, the central bank and the banking system in Iraq, Treasury said.

Here is the bio of McPherson. Like most other info on the net it does not mention that McPherson is also Chair of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board for the US Department of Energy. With an expertise in both finance matters and energy, Pherson must be uniquely competent.

And, so, he is. He is the man centrally placed in the US draft resolution to the UN. Here is Column Lynch's report for the Washington Post Service of May 9:

Under the system proposed by the administration, the proceeds of Iraq's oil revenues would be placed in an Iraqi Assistance Fund held by the Central Bank of Iraq, which is being managed by Peter McPherson, a former deputy treasury secretary and Bank of America executive.

The United States and its allies would have the sole power to spend the money on relief, reconstruction and disarmament operations and to pay ''for other purposes benefiting the people of Iraq.'' The ''funds in the Iraqi Assistance Fund shall be disbursed at the direction of the [U.S.-led coalition], in consultation with the Iraqi Interim Authority,'' the resolution states.

He is a friend of vice-president Cheney, according to the Washington Post. We have not been able to find evidence that he has any particular qualifications or experience in post-war civilian reconstruction, socio-political and economic development, nation-building or reconciliation.

ORHA, the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance

L. Paul Bremer and General Jay Garner and a team of some 300 retired military men, diplomats and functionaries from numerous government agencies have been "recruited" or "appointed" by the Bush administration and, especially, by the Pentagon to administer postwar Iraq through the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance that comes under Pentagon. Here are the backgrounds and profiles about some of them. Interestingly, there are very few questions asked in the free press about this completely undemocratic, ambiguous method to take over a country and shape its future.

JAY GARNER

Governor - Co-ordinator

Retired US general, pro-Israel from the defence industry, with a past job in Northern Iraq, supposed to be the highest authority

Sometimes called the new "viceroy" of Iraq, Retired Lieutenant General Jay Garner is the man in charge of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance.

Here is how the New York Times presents Jay Garner. And here follows a critical background from The Guardian:

"There is no argument among Arab opinion formers, who with rare unanimity have been condemning his appointment as another sign of American contempt for Iraqi feelings,"

"One is the general's work since retiring from the army as president of defence contractor SY Coleman, now part of a communications-led outfit called L3. An L3 spokesman insisted that Gen Garner's firm does not make military hardware but specialises in the guidance systems. In other words, he is the man who has been trying to make sure the weapons hit the targets rather than the surrounding civilians. This may be true, but this might require an over-subtle explanation in the Baghdad souks if Iraqis start to believe they are being ruled by a man who was just trying to kill them."

And here is a sympathetic portrait of Garner, the DeSoto native who will lead the transformation of faraway Iraq, from HeraldTribune.com. The Sydney Morning Herald paints a rather skeptical portrait of Garner from the perspective of "the critical glare of Arab eyes."

However, here is a thorough documentation of Jay Garner's past and relations - by human rights people who have set up a whole website "StopJayGarner.com". Another, Pacific News Service, provides an analysis that is also pretty devastating for Garner in his role as future civilian governor of Iraq.

What we learn from the materials on these sites is that Garner has been involved with the weapons manufacturing company SY Coleman, with the Patriot Missile system, and with the Star Wars project. He has been director of the Provide Comfort Program, the operation that coordinated humanitarian help in Iraqi's Kurdish territory at the end of Gulf War I. Assigned to that position by then Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, Garner oversaw an office that was created by a U.N. mandate. Now he is appointed by the Pentagon (Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz) to rebuild and run Iraq.

Garner has been associated with The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, JINSA, and participated in its JINSA October 2000 Statement. This statement is explained by JINSA here. It has remarkable formulations praising Israel's remarkable restraint and denouncing the Palestinians with generalising formulations such as, "We are appalled by the Palestinian political and military leadership that teaches children the mechanics of war while filling their heads with hate."

Given that Israel is seen as the security problem par excellence by Iraqis, it will be interesting to see whether General Garner will be able to build confidence with any Iraqi who knows where his basic loyalties lie.

It will also be interesting to see whether he has a chance to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis. Upon his first visit to Baghdad on April 21, BBC reported:

Iraq's main Shia groups are boycotting talks with Mr. Garner

The retired US general sent to lead an interim administration has begun assessing the damage the war inflicted on Baghdad, where large parts of the population are still without water or electricity.

Jay Garner flew into Baghdad insisting he was a "facilitator not a ruler", but opposition appeared to be growing to the invading forces taking a leading role in the reconstruction.

A Kurdish leader, Jalal Talabani, said he objected to any "foreigner" leading an administration for Iraq.

Groups representing the majority Shia Muslim population have already said they will not co-operate with a US administration and are boycotting talks led by Mr. Garner.

In addition, his appointment - and that of all the other people with military backgrounds - raises the issue of militarised civilian reconstruction. It has already drawn criticism from many and different experts, e.g. Sara Kenyon Lischer in the Christian Science Monitor of April 15 and Larry Thompson of Refugees International on Reuters AlertNet April 9, 2003.

Garner, to be sure, has set up ORHA in a 258-room Republican Palace on the banks of the Tigris River. But he is not going to enjoy that for any long time. It is expected that he will be replaced by Bremer by mid-May.

JARED L. BATES

Garner's chief of staff

Retired lieutenant general and top guy of US mercenary-consultancy firm, MPRI

Like many others, Bates served in Vietnam and has had all kinds of military assignments and received many medals. Here is his relations to MPRI. Here is a short, critical description of MPRI:

Insiders joke that MPRI has more generals than the Pentagon. This high level mercenary group has over 1000 elite military and law enforcement leaders on retainer, including Gen. Ed Soyster, former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Gen. Frederick Kroesen, former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe and a former Assistant Director of the FBI Many of its employees serve on the Council of Foreign Relations. The President, Carl Vuono was the Army Chief of Staff during the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War. He retired after the war and joined MPRI in 1991. One of his first big jobs was advising the Croatian government when it split away from Yugoslavia. He is credited with the victorious military strategy of lightning armor drives that were used against the Serbs. MPRI is a military consultancy and also supplies pilots and Special Forces and elite training and security services worldwide. They recently completed an $800,000 contract to review and advise the Colombian military. MPRI also runs the US Army's college program, the ROTC, at over 200 US universities.

And here is the MPRI website. Garner and Bates worked for subsidiaries of the same defence contractor, L-3 Communications Systems.

LARRY DiRITA

Top adviser to Garner

Rumsfeld's senior aide in Iraq, US Navy, worked for Republican senators and the conservative Heritage Foundation

Just below J. Garner, who reports to T. Franks, is a line to Larry DiRita, who is a special assistant to the defense chief. He is Rumsfeld's senior aide and a Naval Academy graduate. Larry Di Rita joined the Department of Defense after serving as Legislative Director, then Chief of Staff, for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison [R-Texas] from 1996 until 2001. Prior to that, he served as Policy Director to the 1996 Presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Phil Gramm. Previously, he served at the Heritage Foundation as Deputy Director of Foreign Policy and Defense Studies. DiRita is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. His final tour was on the Joint Staff under General Colin Powell. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and he has a Master's Degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

RON ADAMS

Deputy director of ORHA

Former SFOR commander in Bosnia and Croatia, consultant for many companies

Retired General Adams served in a wide variety of command and staff positions in Vietnam; Korea; around the Pacific Rim; in the Middle East and in Europe, including service as Commander of the NATO led thirty-four nation Stabilization Force, SFOR, in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Although much of his service was outside the continental United States, General Adams also served on the Army General Staff, the Army Secretariat and the Joint Staff, during multiple tours of duty in the Pentagon.

Since leaving active duty, General Adams has worked as a consultant for a number of large companies and serves on several advisory boards for non-profit organizations, a private foundation and a public university.

We have not been able to find what companies Ron Adams has served. We have not been able to find evidence that he has any particular qualifications or experience in post-war civilian reconstruction, socio-political and economic development, nation-building or reconciliation.

BARBARA BODINE

Co-ordinator of Central Iraq

A past in Iraq and Kuwait, controversial, an exception by being close to State Department - and suddenly leaving

To be based in Baghdad. Barbara Bodine, the former US ambassador to Yemen who served in Baghdad in the 1980s, will look after the central region, including Baghdad. Ms Bodine was held hostage at the US embassy in Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War. She is reportedly one of a group of State Department Arabists who made it on to the team after the Pentagon rejected a number of former US ambassadors and diplomats. There seems to have been quite some controversy about her ways of handling the investigation following the attack on USS Cole in the Port of Aden which happened in October 2000 when she was US ambassador to Yemen. Bodine has worked for former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole and former Republican secretary of state Henry Kissinger, and served under presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. Here is an official CV. And here is a recent critical comment about her from the Washington Post.

On May 11 and 12, VOA announced that Brodine has resigned or, rather, abruptly called back to Washington.

ROGER "BUCK" WALTERS

Co-ordinator of Southern Iraq

Retired general, Texas businessman, with a past, like many others, in Vietnam

Another retired general and Texas businessman, will oversee the south. He is one more in the group who has been hand-picked by the Pentagon. This is what CBC News has to tell about him:

His territory will extend from the borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to just north of Karbala. The team will eventually set up camp in Basra after the fighting subsides. Walters retired from the army after serving for 32 years. Since then, he has worked for an insurance company in Texas and told the Washington Times that he plans to be back at his desk job in less than a year. He told the paper he never considered turning down the job. "I served my country for 32 years, and I would not like to think about sitting on my porch having said no. This is a time of history, and I want to be here," he said.

In 1966, General Walters served in Vietnam in Project Delta and in command of a Special Forces camp. Returning to Vietnam in 1969, General Walters served as a Battalion S3 and later as Deputy G1 in the 101st Airborne Division.

BRUCE MOORE

Co-ordinator of Northern Iraq

Retired army general with ties to US mercenary-consultancy company MPRI

Retired army major general, Bruce Moore, has been appointed coordinator for Northern Iraq with his base in Mosul. This is how Fox News presents his background:

Prior to his appointment to ORHA, Moore served at PAE Government Services, Inc. as consultant on a joint Department of State and Department of Defense initiative to solicit the support of the countries of Mauritania, Mali, Sudan and Chad in the War on Terrorism.

At MPRI, in Alexandria, VA General Moore served from 2000-2001 as a Program Manager for Military Stabilization Program for Bosnia-Herzegovina, a multi-million dollar program that assisted the Bosnian Government in establishing a NATO compatible Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces. Moore also directed the Nigeria Assessment, an in depth assessment of the actions required to insure a successful transition from a military government to a civilian government.

PAE has grown from designing bridges to installing offshore oil platforms to supplying entire labor forces to maintaining extensive military installations and bases. And MPRI, Military Professional Resources, Inc., is one of those para-military, private mercenary companies that also, for instance, "stabilised" Macedonia in 2002.

LEWIS W. LUCKE

Co-ordinator for reconstruction and USAID director of Iraq

Relevant education and broad international experience in development matters

A Senior Foreign Service Officer, Lucke has served for 24 years at the U.S. Agency for International Development ((USAID) in seven overseas posts. He served as USAID Mission Director in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from 2000-2001, where he managed the largest U.S. development program in the Western Hemisphere. More about him here. He is also the US AID Mission director in Iraq. He has a degree in international studies, have worked in development programmes in many countries and is, thus, one of the few whose background, education and experience may be relevant to the Iraqis.

GEORGE F. WARD

Co-ordinator for humanitarian assistance

Marine Corps and State Department man, experience from Germany unification and with Kosovo-Albanians

Until George F. Ward, Jr. was appointed to go to Iraq, he directed the US Institute for Peace's Training Program. He joined the Institute in 1999 after a thirty-year career in the Foreign Service, which concluded with his appointment as United States ambassador to the Republic of Namibia in 1996-99. In Namibia, he managed a successful humanitarian de-mining program and initiated a campaign against gender violence. As principal deputy assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs in 1992-96, he helped formulate United States policy on multilateral peacekeeping and managed the policy process on United Nations political questions.

During his assignment as deputy chief of mission in Germany in 1989-92, Ward played a leading role in the negotiations that led to German unification. He received the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award for his service in Germany. During earlier Foreign Service assignments in Germany, Italy, and Washington, he worked extensively on European security questions. Prior to his Foreign Service career, Ward was an officer in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the United States and Vietnam. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Rochester and an M.P.A. with a concentration in systems analysis from Harvard University.

Here is one more who has a background in the Marine Corps, but belongs to the minority who comes from the State Department and has a relevant education and working experience. In September 1999, in the aftermath of NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia, he helped various groups of Kosovo-Albanians agree on co-operation toward democracy.

TIM CROSS

Deputy to Jay Garner

A British exception with an interest in Christian ethics