Report fears growing chaos in Iraq
By Guy Dinmore in Washington
Published: July 17 2003 23:11 | Last Updated: July 17 2003 23:11
Iraq's "potential for chaos" is growing by the day, giving the US only three months to turn the security situation around, according to a highly critical report on US reconstruction efforts delivered by an independent team of experts.
Commissioned by Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defence, five experts led by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) spent 12 days travelling through much of Iraq. Their report, made public on Thursday, warns of the dangers ahead and gives a sharp critique of the Bush administration's postwar performance.
"The next 12 months will be critical to the success or failure of the Iraq reconstruction effort. The potential for chaos is becoming more real every day," the report said, referring to the guerrilla warfare and sabotage mounted by remnants of the old regime.
Security was steadily deteriorating in Baghdad, the northern city of Mosul and elsewhere, and anti-Americanism was on the rise in parts of the country, the team concluded.
"The next three months are crucial to turning around the security situation which is volatile in key parts of the country. . . The Iraqi population has exceedingly high expectations and the window for co-operation may close rapidly if they do not see progress on delivering security, basic services, opportunities for broad political involvement and economic opportunity."
The team paid tribute to the dedication of US troops and the coalition provisional authority (CPA) led by Paul Bremer. But it said the entire civilian effort needed to be "immediately turbo-charged" with more money, personnel and resources. International involvement, particularly that of the United Nations and World Bank, had to be broadened.
But the report also noted that the CPA was disconnected from reality. It needed to decentralise and give the resources needed to the newly established governing council of Iraqis. The team described the 25- member council as highly competent and backed their request for UN recognition.
Rick Barton of CSIS described the CPA as "living in a cocoon inside a bubble". He noted that many US troops were static, tied up guarding US personnel and compounds.
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