Testimony: Statement of Frederick D. Barton, Senior Fellow and Director, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies, before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate on 'Accelerating Economic Progress in Iraq'

摘要

The task before us in Iraq has never been an easy one. Renewing Iraq's economy after decades of Saddam's totalitarian rule would have been a challenge even in the most peaceful of conditions. With the insurgency, it has proven near impossible. The security, political, and economic situations in Iraq today must be seen as part of an integrated whole. Improving Iraq's economy will not drive success by itself, but it is essential to making progress. Fewer choices remain today because of missed opportunities. Any successful strategy will reach well beyond Baghdad to empower local governing councils, independent authorities, and individuals. When you get to this stage of reconstruction, it is imperative to pick winners and to give them the means to succeed. My belief is that the status quo will not achieve the desired results this Administration and its Iraqi partners are looking for. Iraq requires a dramatic shift in the way we do business. We need to put the Iraqi people first, and we need to operate in a more creative, entrepreneurial, and agile way. We cannot hunker down in the Green Zone and expect results. Nor can we expect that the Iraqi central government will be able to deliver. What does it mean to put the Iraqi people first: (1) Don't count on the central government to find the people, (2) Get the money moving faster, (3) Give Iraqis a direct stake in their oil flow, and (4) Create integrated benchmarks that matter. This shift will not be easy. We will worry about the loss of control, of oversight, of leverage. We will feel pressure to carry out our work in traditional ways. The reality is that success in post-conflict reconstruction depends on more than stamping our name on a list of projects completed, goods delivered, or elections successfully run. Post-conflict reconstruction must not be ideological or utopian. Rather, it must offer a pragmatic view that engages local people and encourages the expansion of their basic rights and freedoms.