The plans for peace, however, seem to be nonexistent. An estimated $60 billion was spent to precipitate a regime change in Iraq. The assumptions, widely held in Washington, that the Iraqi people would greet the American forces as "liberators" have been proved wrong as looters and guerrilla elements have created ongoing security problems. The spending continues at a rate of $4 billion per month to stabilize the country during the post-war political power vacuum, while spokesmen for the Bush Administration talk of indefinite tours of duty for American troops in Iraq.
Meanwhile the Iraqi people, coalition forces, and the international community are looking for leadership in post-war Iraq. What is our nation building strategy? What is our timetable for democracy in Iraq? When can we withdraw American troops? How will the Iraqi people survive after the devastation of three wars in the past 25 years?
In Reconstructing Eden, Thomas E. White, Secretary of the Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with three political and economic experts from CountryWatch, provide a detailed review of the events leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as a comprehensive plan for nation building in Iraq. The Authors answer the tough questions posed above and offer objectives associated with successful nation building in Iraq. They provide specific plans for political and economic development, as well as a forecast for the Iraqi economy, including the petroleum sector.
