Losing the Golden Hour

by Stephenson, James

• ISBN13: 9781597971515
• ISBN10: 1597971510
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-11-30
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

In emergency medicine, 'œthe golden hour' is the first hour after injury during which treatment greatly increases survivability. In post-conflict transition terminology, it is the first year after hostilities end. Without steadily improving conditions then, popular support declines and chances for economic, political, and social transformation begin to evaporate. James Stephenson believes we have lost Iraq's golden hour. A veteran of postconflict reconstruction on three continents, he ran the Iraq mission of the Agency for International Development in 2004'05 with more than a thousand employees and expatriate contractors. The Coalition Provisional Authority, which oversaw the largest reconstruction and nation-building exercise ever, was a dysfunctional organization the Department of Defense cobbled together with temporary employees and a few experienced professionals from the State Department and other agencies. Iraqis soon became disillusioned, and the insurgency grew. Losing the Golden Hourtells of hubris, incompetence, courage, fear, and duty. It is about foreign assistance professionals trying to overcome the mistakes of an ill-conceived occupation and help Iraqis create a nation after decades of despair. Neither criticizing nor defending U.S. foreign policy, Stephenson offers an informed assessment of Iraq's future. Selected for the Diplomats and Diplomacy Book Series of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Glossary	p. xix
Map	p. xx
The Call	p. 1
Spiraling into Gotterdammerung	p. 11
The Proconsul	p. 15
Interregnum	p. 21
Jonestown	p. 29
Mud Wrestling	p. 37
The Mother of All Aprils	p. 43
Kafka Dies Hard	p. 55
The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship	p. 59
Exit Stage Left-Quickly	p. 67
Adult Supervision	p. 81
Trench Warfare	p. 89
The Outcome Still in Doubt	p. 93
Partners	p. 105
Attrition	p. 109
Just a Little Light	p. 129
Winding Down	p. 137
Going Home	p. 145
Epilogue	p. 149
Brief History of the Economic Growth Program in Iraq	p. 157
Index	p. 167
About The Author	p. 175
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