Just flicking around I saw something about the first year of the Iraq war on Frontline. I usually think that PBS is a bunch of liberal BS but Frontline usually does decent documentaries on various wars and conflicts. They did one about Rwanda that was excellent, and was critical of the Clinton administration. Anyway below is a link to the frontline site. You can watch the entire show online.
In a nutshell Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, lost the war for America. How did the Americans start out as liberators, with people in Iraq cheering us on, to our troops getting attack by Iraqis on a regular basis. This is one BIG reason why;
Bremer surprised many in the Bush administration and the American military with far-reaching decrees that disbanded the Iraqi military and purged former Baathists from government employment. The Bush administration original plan was to weed out some bad apples, but keep the Iraqi Military intact. This was the thought of the senior military on the ground, and they already made bonds with some ex-Iraqi soldiers who were happy to come back to work. Bremer in essence laid off 300,000 trained and armed men. Most of the disbanded army took their weapons home with them. Some might have found other work, but most just joined the insurgency to make ends meet. Also purging ALL the baathist was just stupid. Sure some where Saddam loyalist, but just like the Nazi party, most joined to get benefits and you where harassed if you where not a party member. The CPA laid off thousands of teachers, essential goverment officials and infrastructure employees simply because they were Baathist.
Real interesting, a lesson on how NOT to rebuild a country after a war.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/yeariniraq/
In a nutshell Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, lost the war for America. How did the Americans start out as liberators, with people in Iraq cheering us on, to our troops getting attack by Iraqis on a regular basis. This is one BIG reason why;
Bremer surprised many in the Bush administration and the American military with far-reaching decrees that disbanded the Iraqi military and purged former Baathists from government employment. The Bush administration original plan was to weed out some bad apples, but keep the Iraqi Military intact. This was the thought of the senior military on the ground, and they already made bonds with some ex-Iraqi soldiers who were happy to come back to work. Bremer in essence laid off 300,000 trained and armed men. Most of the disbanded army took their weapons home with them. Some might have found other work, but most just joined the insurgency to make ends meet. Also purging ALL the baathist was just stupid. Sure some where Saddam loyalist, but just like the Nazi party, most joined to get benefits and you where harassed if you where not a party member. The CPA laid off thousands of teachers, essential goverment officials and infrastructure employees simply because they were Baathist.
Real interesting, a lesson on how NOT to rebuild a country after a war.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/yeariniraq/
