Captain Chris Chang, Mark Keppel HS and UCLA Graduate. U.S. forces encourage strong local government
By Antonio Castaneda
ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 27, 2005
BALAD RUZ, Iraq – When villagers saw the cloud of dust from an approaching U.S. convoy, they hoped Iraq's new power brokers had come to solve problems: a broken well, a dilapidated school.
But the U.S. soldiers, mindful that their eventual departure hinges on robust local governments, directed villagers to local officials and elected representatives – a mind-bending concept for Iraqis formerly accustomed to all power flowing from Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
In modern Iraqi history, local governments hardly have been the place to solve problems. Other groups – Hussein's Baath Party, the Iraqi army, tribal leaders, clerics – have been far more relevant to daily life.
"In Saddam's Iraq, everyone was encouraged to look to the center – and to a lesser degree the party – for action," said Phebe Marr, author of "The Modern History of Iraq."
The United States now is using millions of reconstruction dollars to repair the capabilities and image of local governments, a central component to an Iraq free of strongmen or bureaucrats who cater to segments of a diverse and fractured society.
"Everything we do, we try to put the Iraqi army, Iraqi police and local government at the forefront and give them the credit," said Capt. Chris Chang, a native of Los Angeles and a civilian affairs officer in the 278th Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division.
City councils have emerged as a new power, channeling U.S. funds for reconstruction projects that pay local residents to build schools, hospitals and other public facilities.
The council members were chosen largely by U.S. officials, but they are hardly beholden to their American sponsors. In Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad and near the border with Iran, council members meet with the U.S. military once a week to coordinate, but they do not report to them.
The process isn't always smooth, and frustrations can run high.
During one exchange in a small, smoky room, the Balad Ruz councilman chairing the meeting, a Turkmen named Maed Ruez, accused U.S. forces of not following through on projects, a sensitive allegation for soldiers who spend their days building water treatment plants and refurbishing mosques.
By Antonio Castaneda
ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 27, 2005
BALAD RUZ, Iraq – When villagers saw the cloud of dust from an approaching U.S. convoy, they hoped Iraq's new power brokers had come to solve problems: a broken well, a dilapidated school.
But the U.S. soldiers, mindful that their eventual departure hinges on robust local governments, directed villagers to local officials and elected representatives – a mind-bending concept for Iraqis formerly accustomed to all power flowing from Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
In modern Iraqi history, local governments hardly have been the place to solve problems. Other groups – Hussein's Baath Party, the Iraqi army, tribal leaders, clerics – have been far more relevant to daily life.
"In Saddam's Iraq, everyone was encouraged to look to the center – and to a lesser degree the party – for action," said Phebe Marr, author of "The Modern History of Iraq."
The United States now is using millions of reconstruction dollars to repair the capabilities and image of local governments, a central component to an Iraq free of strongmen or bureaucrats who cater to segments of a diverse and fractured society.
"Everything we do, we try to put the Iraqi army, Iraqi police and local government at the forefront and give them the credit," said Capt. Chris Chang, a native of Los Angeles and a civilian affairs officer in the 278th Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division.
City councils have emerged as a new power, channeling U.S. funds for reconstruction projects that pay local residents to build schools, hospitals and other public facilities.
The council members were chosen largely by U.S. officials, but they are hardly beholden to their American sponsors. In Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad and near the border with Iran, council members meet with the U.S. military once a week to coordinate, but they do not report to them.
The process isn't always smooth, and frustrations can run high.
During one exchange in a small, smoky room, the Balad Ruz councilman chairing the meeting, a Turkmen named Maed Ruez, accused U.S. forces of not following through on projects, a sensitive allegation for soldiers who spend their days building water treatment plants and refurbishing mosques.
"Yeah, whatever," replied Capt. Dale Bradley, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., who then quickly gave a polished response before his interpreter could speak.
"Every time you've asked for things that I can control, I have delivered," Bradley said.
Despite the tension, the council chairman later voiced his support for the American forces.
The U.S. military's hands-off attitude and a central Iraqi government preoccupied by security crises have raised the profile of city officials such as Mohammad Maroof Hussein, the Kurdish mayor of Balad Ruz who once worked as an interpreter for U.S. forces.
"We had a city council before, but they had no authority," Hussein said between meetings with contractors, imams and U.S. soldiers.
Lt. Col. William M. Hart, who commands the 1st Squadron, 278th Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division that oversees the area around Balad Ruz, said he has only worked with local leaders – not officials in Baghdad.
But an expected, eventual decrease in U.S. funding as Americans pull out also could diminish the power that mayors and city councils enjoy.
"We do sit on top of the food chain," Chang said.
Other groups, including tribal leaders, are grappling for power. Insurgents have assassinated council members across the country, and a prominent Sunni leader in the area, Sheik Gazi al-Houm, recently told the U.S. Army that he would like permission to arm tribesmen.
Immediate crises also have forced U.S. soldiers to work with powers outside the civil government. When attacks have occurred in this area, U.S. forces have knocked on the doors of traditional tribal leaders who usually know more about their communities.
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