Iraq

This book brings together a wealth of information and analysis to identify important lessons learned from the rebuilding program in Iraq; lessons that could help improve significantly the U.S. approach to future stabilisation and reconstruction operations. Drawing from numerous interviews with past and present Iraqi leaders, senior U.S. policymakers and practitioners, members of Congress, and others who were involved with Iraq, this book lays out in detail the enormous U.S. reconstruction effort, which completed thousands of projects and programs since 2003, but in which there were many lessons learned the hard way. This book describes the challenges, encountered by the soldiers, diplomats, and other civilians who served in Iraq. The nine-year rebuilding program, expended about $60 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars and billions more in Iraqi funds. Over $25 billion of that was committed to the training and equipping of Iraqi Security Forces, with the balance funding everything from major infrastructure construction in the electricity and water sectors to local governance programs and reconstruction projects.