Peter Van Buren, at the blog We Meant Well, knows more than most people about the Father of Money. Not only has he been around a few minutes (He served in the US Foreign Service for over 23 years), but he is passionate on the subject-matter. He is also a strident advoate for changing our state-building approach.
By chance, Peter was responsible for the same piece of ground that I was in Iraq, albeit five years later. That fact results in a comment that I found tragically insightful while reading the review at We Meant Well:
"I [Peter] say that with some authority, as the same ground Whiteley covered, and many of the same characters, were in my own area of responsibility as a PRT Team Leader in Iraq 2009-2010. Five years after Whiteley left, al Dora remained a nasty, violent place."
There you have it. Five years, and countless "success stories" later, Iraq is more or less the way it was the day after we got there. The law of averages has prevailed and a long-term reality has consumed each short-term success. Peter and I know this cycle. It has outlasted both of us.
For the full review click here.
