New Military Report Acknowledges Signs of Police State in Baghdad

Virtually ignored in last week's national debate on the US military surge was a report by military experts recommending that the Iraqi police service be scrapped because of its brutal sectarian character. The scathing report stopped short of acknowledging that continuing US support for the Iraqi Security Forces is in violation of the 1997 Leahy Amendment barring assistance to known human rights violators.

So far representatives Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee have raised the issue with their HR 3134, which would end funding for the repressive Iraqi security forces. The Center for American Progress [CAP], headed by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta, takes the same view in its July document, "Strategic Reset." Perhaps the most important sign of rising awareness is the new willingness of Senate leader Harry Reid to remove the provision for funding American trainers in the timetable legislation he is co-sponsoring with Sen. Russell Feingold.

The little-noticed new report exposes the lethal nature of the counterinsurgency doctrines promoted by Gen. David Petraeus and the official warfighting manual developed in collaboration between the Army, the Marines and Harvard's Carr Center.

In comparison with past public outcries about "tiger cages" and Operation Phoenix in Vietnam, death squads in El Salvador and Honduras, or ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, there is little or no attention today to the issues raised in the new report. All the major Democratic presidential candidates support maintaining thousands of American trainers embedded with what the new report calls "dysfunctional and sectarian" forces. In short, whether intentional or not, all the major proposals on Iraq are based on a lower-visibility, lower-casualty dirty war reminiscent of Algeria, Central America, South Vietnam and, today, Afghanistan.

Gen. Petraeus was the commander of US transitional forces [MNSTC-I] in 2004-2005, in charge of training, arming and organizing Iraq's military and police forces. A scandal involving tens of thousands of missing weapons on Petraeus' watch has been pursued by the American Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction since that time. A Petraeus subordinate, Col. Theodore Westhusing, committed apparent suicide on June 5, 2005, leaving a note which said,

"I cannot support a [mission] that leads to corruption, human rights abuses, and liars...I don't know who to trust anymore." [Newsweek, Aug. 20-27]

The new report thoroughly documents the violence, ethnic hatred, and lack of transparency surrounding the Iraq Ministry of Interior, which is responsible for some 300,000 police, national police, and border enforcement services, many of them tied to the Shi'a militias of the Badr Brigade, the paramiitary arm of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI] which the Americans empowered after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Called "The Report of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq", the Sept. 7, 2007 report was issued by Marine Gen. James Jones [ret.] and a panel of some 30 top military experts, many with 30 years' experience. The media noted its primary assessment, that the Iraqi army was progressing but would require another 12 to 18 months before being combat-ready. The explosive sections of the 130-page, single-spaced report were ignored. They are quoted here extensively:

From chapter 7, on the Ministry of Interior itself:

"The Ministry of Interior is a ministry in name only. It is widely regarded as being dysfunctional and sectarian, and suffers from ineffective leadership. Such fundamental flaws present a serious obstacle to achieving the levels of readiness, capability, and effectiveness in police and border security forces that are essential for internal security and stability in Iraq." [p. 92]

From Chapter 8, on the 230,000-member Iraqi Police Service, jurisdiction over which passed from the State Department to the Pentagon in March 2004:

"This was unprecedented historically, the departments of Justice and State have taken the lead in training indigenous police forces. Placing the military in charge...has resulted in greater emphasis on counterinsurgency operations than on civil policing and more traditional law enforcement activities." [p. 93] This basically means that the police are directly involved on the Shi'a side in the complex civil war against the Sunnis, i.e. "civil policing is fundamentally different than military policing...civil police are trained to use defensive techniques, and to use deadly physical forces only a last resort. In contrast, military police are focused on force protection, intelligence gathering, and support of combat soldiers and combat operations." [ p.99] The police follow the model of an occupying army more than that of community-based policing.

From Chapter 9, The 25,000 National Police, including the former Special Police Commandos, which is 85 percent Shi'a:

"Despite efforts to reform the Iraqi National Police, the organization remains a highly sectarian element of the Iraqi Security Forces and one for the most part is unable to contribute to security and stability in Iraq. The Iraqi National Police is almost exclusively. Shi'a." [ p.109]

"In its current form, the National Police is not a viable organization. Its ability to be effective is crippled by significant challenges, including public distrust, sectarianism [both real and perceived], and a lack of clarity about its identity..." [p. 112]

"The National Police should be disbanded and reorganized under the Ministry of Interior." [p. 114]

From Chapter 10, the Department of Border Enforcement, with 37, 71- personnel to police 2,268 miles of land border and 36 miles of coastline:

"The Department of Border Enforcement and the Ports of Entry Directorate face significant challenges and are not yet providing adequate border security for Iraq." [p. 118]

"Corruption is a serious problem at many land ports of memory. This fact has not yet been adequately addressed." [p. 123]

"Corruption and external influence and infiltration are widespread. Absent major improvements in all these areas, Iraq's borders will remain porous and poorly defended." [124]

On the Ministry of Interior itself, which is supported by a 90-member Civilian Police Assistance Transition Team, established in 2004:

"...the MOI is rife with political and sectarian intrigues and is struggling to be even partially effective as a government institution." [p. 86]

"The Coalition Provisional Authority invested considerable effort into restructuring the MOI, but focused largely on the physical reconstruction of the building itself...There is very little sense of momentum in transitioning greater responsibilities to the MOI. The ministry's physical presence - its multiple floors reportedly controlled by different factions, its location near Sadr City, and it multiple security checks and heavily armed occupants - is itself a symbol of its dysfunction, sectarian character, and ineffectiveness." [p. 86]

"Under the previous Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr, who is now the powerful Minister of Finance, the Ministry of Interior became politicized. Jabr was a member of the Badr Organization and a member of {SCIRI}...He gave key ministry posts to members of the Badr Brigade, and Badr Brigade militia infiltrated Iraqi police units in many areas of the country. Although current Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani wants to reform and professionalize the ministry, this is his first senior government position; he reportedly has no political affiliation or natural political constituency, and he lacks personal experience in managing police units." [p. 88]

"It has been described as an '11-story powder keg of factions"...the security environment at the MOI is so dangerous that when Western officials visit the ministry the frequently wear body armor and move only under heavily-armed escort." [p. 88]

"Although Minister al-Bolani has attempted to address the sectarianism and corruption in the MOI...the fundamentally sectarian nature of the ministry endures. For example, a former National Police general continues to work at the MOI, despite his having been implicated in a covert detention center [ed. note: secret prison] in 2006; the Interior Minister blocked his arrest warrant." [p. 88]

"The Commission surveyed the Coalition's senior field commanders to obtain their on-the-ground assessment of the status and progress of the Iraqi Security Forces. Asked to rate the progress made by MOI forces toward ending sectarian violence and achieving national reconciliation, all four respondents rated progress as unsatisfactory." [p. 88]

In the same week of September, the Government Accountability Office reached similar conclusions in its benchmarks report to Congress:

"The government has not eliminated militia control of local security, eliminated political intervention in military operations, ensured even-handed enforcement of the law..." [GAO Report, Sept. 5, p. 9]

The Bush Administration itself admitted the sectarian character of the Baghdad regime in the fine print of its own July report to Congress on progress towards the benchmarks:

"[There is] evidence of sectarian bias in the appointment of senior military and police commanders" as well as "target lists emanating from the Office of the Commander in Chief that bypassed operational commanders and directed lower-level intelligence officers to make arrests, primarily of Sunnis."

The same conclusions were reached by a bipartisan 16-member Congressional oversight subcommittee:

"Though there is strong evidence that many of the police are operationally ineffective, and their organization is riddled with corruption and sectarian influence, as of March 2007 [13 months after the "Year of the Police" began], the Coalition turned over vetting, screening, and basic training to the Ministry of the Interior." [p. 71]

All this seems to be evidence of a deep moral failure to recognize that the Baghdad regime, whose security forces are funded with $19 billion, is a massive human rights violation by its nature. As that fact becomes known, more and more legislators will become reluctant to fund a permanent police state.

On March 22, 2006, President Bush declared that "as they stand up, we'll stand down." The problem is not that the Iraqi security forces need more training, the problem is that they are standing up - as a hydra-headed Frankenstein.

There seems to be no intention to "reform" them further, a task which has failed to show progress for four years. Instead, Gen. Petraeus seeks to deliver crippling blows to the insurgency and secure control of the population with what the Pentagon calls "gated communities", where the population can be completely surveilled, monitored and controlled. This marks a departure from the previous doctrine of Gen. Casey of standing down when Iraqis stand up, to the new Petraeus doctrine of defeating the insurgents and imposing harsh controls on the Iraqi population. If the US succeeds, Baghdad may be the capital of a Shi'a police state employing the classic methods of dirty war. #

Tom Hayden is the author of Ending the War in Iraq [Akashic, 2006]

Comments

[Spookcatcher]

"Hydra Headed Frankenstein"? PUT THE CANDLE BACK!

[outnow]

Tom,

Good post!

The central tenet of counterinsurgency is winning the allegiance of the indigenous population. This requires an interlocking system of actions - political, economic, psychological, and military.

The effort by the occupying agency must include keeping legitimacy, defeating the root cause of the insurgency, and sustaining the will with overwhelming resources.

The "legitimacy factor" is missing here because of the apparent intentions of the Production Sharing Agreements and the proposed Petroleum Law are too one-sided, according to the Oil Union in Iraq. The "root cause" of the insurgency is religious as well as nationalistic. Can we change these factors?

Islam is born of insurgency. We used this in Afghanistan against the Soviets. The history of human rights abuses and the ill-fated attempts to privatize resources, according to the Chicago School of Economics advanced by the neocon cabal, has "poisoned the well" so much that all the overwhelming military force and iron willpower will not achieve the desired result.

In fact, a true democracy would only result in some kind of theocracy, probably Shiite with Sharia law. The built in differences between the parties is so great that, at best, a divide and conquer policy would be used to extract the resources and control the defeated populace.

At this point, the U.S. would need to "take on" Iran to impose its will as an occupying force in the region. Maybe Pakistan would blow up.

I don't see a decent chance of winning the allegiance of the local population after four years of occupation, 100,000 Iraqi deaths, countless injuries, 4,000,000 refugees, ethnic cleansing, and depleted uranium casings, not to mention economic havoc, lack of electricity and potable water, and growing resentment toward the U.S. occupying forces, including Black Water.

[dajson]

There is an army in Iraq roughly the same size as our US Troops with a financial interest in this war never ending. Can a privitized war for profit ran by no-bid contracters ever really be stopped, or has our country been tricked into committing suicide along with what's left of Iraq. Dear American people, "I cannot support a [mission] that leads to corruption, human rights abuses, and liars...I don't know who to trust anymore."

[thirteen13]

Hey it worked when we rounded up Native Americans and confined them to reservations.

Rounding up and enslaving is what we do best.

Our Nation has evolved from a Democracy to Totalitarian rule with no political opposition.

It all sounds more like:

VOTE REPUBLICAN GET MORE OF THE SAME.

VOTE DEMOCRATIC GET LESS OF THE SAME.

The same remains the same. No change, just hand me down leadership.

[ApolloSpeaks]

The "Anbar Awakening" is very real and General Petraeus deserves to be lauded for it. However, it is not translating into political progress in reconciling Sunni and Shia. Because the Shiite led government in Baghdad ignored Sunni pleas for help in their war with Al Qaida Sunni mistrust of the government and hatred of Maliki is greater than ever. As Al Qaida is being beaten in Iraq the partitioning of the country continues. The only way to stop it is the deadly application of brute force Saddam style.

[ScooterLiddy]

Train the Iraqis to "stand up" so we can "stand down" sounds awfully ridiculous in the face of this report. It's been nearly five years of that refrain. Quagmire.

[Rowland]

Al Gore, speaking of the objective, recently said [about our goal]: "To get our troops out of there as soon as possible while simultaneously observing the moral duty that all of us share " including those of us who opposed this war in the first instance " to remove our troops in a way that doesn"t do further avoidable damage to the people who live there."

Congress needs to first begin a debate on a resolution on the question of abandoning the goal of forcing the Iraqi Parliament to pass the Iraq Hydrocarbon Law and the expected Production Sharing Agreements that would greatly favor American oil companies. They can easily have a national consensus about that.

Democratic candidates must begin demanding that the United States tilt in favor of the Sunnis to handle the oil revenues of Iraq. They, the Sunni, would then have to work out the sharing arrangements with the Shia and Kurds to get the oil out of the ground.

The matter of reconstruction, reparations and infrastructure building must be in the hands of the Shia and Kurds. Their goal must be to build a true nation there that will homogenize the people and end sectarian tensions.

By bifurcating efforts we can expect a self-interest balance among the warring factions.

The United States must then withdraw to guard the six oil pipelines and the banking in and out of the country so that the oil money flows through the Sunnis. We have seen that the Shia cannot resolve to treat the Sunnis fairly and this will otherwise perpetuate the civil war contrary to the method suggested by Gore.

The United States must then turn over the tasks the new strategy entails to the UN and get out.

[Guitarsandmore]

Tom,

Actually, the National Police was a topic of discussion last week during the Patraeus report. It came out during the first day during the first briefing. Both Crocker and Patraeus admitted big problems with the National Police. They tend to act more like Nazi SS troopers than Police. No one is happy with their performance. The current thinking is to convert them into special forces units only such as SWAT, Bomb Demolition squads, and other specific task oriented special forces. They don"t make such good police.

[Jane22]

Hi, it's new kid on the block, Jane. I wondered where you all went!

[FogBelter]

Mr Hayden, I hate that the United States is in this Iraq mess, but at this point it's impossible to see a way to stablize Iraq without Martial Law. You have groups in Iraq that have engaged in a religious blood feud for centuries with the only method to keep them from slaughtering each other being a brutal leader, like Saddam, keeping his boot on the people's throats. Saddam was the cork in the bottle, like Martial Tito was in Yugoslavia. Bush has removed the Vile Saddam and the hatred and rage the people directed at him for 20 years they now have unleashed on each other.

Should the United States be imposing Martial Law on the Iraqis? ... No!

Should the US expect the Iraqis to grow beyond their hatred because we are refereeing? ... No!

The social model for Iraq was a Nation kept under control through fear and draconian reprisals delivered by ruthless leaders. The Iraqis are not Natural Confederates ... the English and the French divided up the Middle East amongst themselves and imposed borders on the region during WWI, not factoring the natural alignment of tribes and religious sects. During their occupation of Iraq, the British found that unity amongst the Iraqis had to be imposed through an authoratarian leader, be it King or Dictator, and Military Repression, and now the United States is required, due to the foolishness of Bush, to reconstitute the Colonial tools of brutality to impose upon unwilling subjects yet another Western form of "Freedom".

The distasteful choices the United States is looking at are either maintaining Martial Law, Balkanizing Iraq, or tolerating the bloodletting until the Iraqis tire of killing each other. If it's the third choice the US should just leave and let them have at it, they don't need our oversight for slaughter.

Bush should have left Saddam in place, since he didn't have a working plan to deal with him being gone, but the idiot couldn't help himself.

[Nyland8]

I think in all cases, it's the "third choice" ... because we have no right to continue to occupy Iraq ...

... and the idea that we are capable of "doing" anything for the Iraqi people that they cannot do, or are not willing to do for themselves is exactly the kind of hubris that got us into this mess.

We have no business remaining in Iraq ... under any circumstances other than as part of a huge multinational force large enought to seal the borders and protect the Iraqi people ...

... and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

But every day we stay, it gets further away.

8

.

[FogBelter]

You're correct, we have no right occupying Iraq, but the United States has gotten comfortable using Occupation as a tool of it's foreign policy for decades ... ask the Germans, Italians, Koreans, Filipinos, Japanese, etc. how happy they are that Americans are based in their countries ... that is also occupation. (and I'm leaving out dozens of other Nations where we also have our troops based ... how many nations have bases in the US? I forget)

The bottom line is Americans need to take a more active role in their Democracy, including its foreign policy, so we don't make stupid mistakes, like occupying Iraq, an acceptable part of the Status Quo.

[querencia]

..."Leahy Amendment barring assistance to known human rights violators."
Good post and all but something is bothering me here.

What about the known human rights violators within our own administration? Or do those not count somehow?

[Jane22]

If they have enough money and/or clout. we see that they are not held accountable.

[Nyland8]

I think the point is that we have a law - the 1997 Leahy Amendment - which prohibits us from funding known human rights abusers ...

... so that is an added pretext for "unfunding" the war, because in at least this instance, to support them further puts us in violation of our own pre-existing law.

" ... human rights violators within our own administration ... " is a completely different discussion and not the topic of the article. Tom's blog seeks to expose a single facet of our catastrophic mis-management of the Iraqi debacle ... and it is well buttressed by facts. If we are wise, we can use this tool to apply pressure to our elected representatives and remind them that we cannot financially support a regime where human rights violations are widespread and systemic, so they must cut off the funding.

Use the tool he's given us. All the research has already been provided. If we oppose the war, then we should apply every weapon we have against it.

And thank you Mr. Hayden

8

.

[cheerleaderBush]

well the Bush administration has always said their goal was to install 'an american style democracy in the middle east' - this report indicates we have (based on the errosion of civil rights in this country over the past 6 years).

the destruction, disease and death that the Bush administration has caused in Iraq is profoundly criminal and immoral - and the overall apathy displayed by a majority of Americans for the horror US policy has inflicted on the childrn of Iraq is nothing short of tragic.

[Spookcatcher]

And Florida, don't forget Florida. And starting in Everyware U.S.A. as the 2008 election gets closer there will be "bring your own taser nights" in all cities and towns, coming to all police forces near you. Bonus: they will be allowed unchecked practice for free at all Universities and College meetings. Hecklers and interruptors and otherwise concerned citizens with tough questions are encouraged to attend.

[Rescisco]

Good post Tom. When you look at the reports by military and other experts that are routinely ignored, the politically unmentionable truth is clear. Absolutely nothing we are doing or can do will bring about a positive result in Iraq. It is a civil war, and we are powerless to control the dysfunctional and sectarian violence that has been unleashed as a direct result of our tragic blunder. The only question, answered by nobody at this moment, is how much longer will be in a state of dysfunctional denial.

[SunDog7]

Hey Tom, do you really think that our "legislators" will be reluctant to fund a police state? What are they doing now? They're funding a police state. They may be doing it reluctantly but they're still doing it...and investing in huge amounts of money in permanent bases from which their increasingly less intelligent minions will oversee it for the foreseeable future. I am so glad that in high school in 1965 we studied Orwell´s "1984". Now we can see how it works in real life. One more little "terrorist" attack and maybe we can have a little first hand experience right here in the USA.

[Jane22]

That would be our money, our blood, our chilren' lives, the lives of all their blood money victims and all in our name. This ticks me off!

[thirteen13]

The USA has evolved into a Totalitarian State
with absolutely no political opposition. It showed its head when the Republicans tried to depose Bill Clinton with impeachment.

Our Nations private enterprise has even developed civilian armed forces capable of enforcing martial law on its own citizans.

Can't happen here? All of our legitimate armed forces are overextended in Iraq and Afganistan.

We are so conditioned to the threat of terrorism that we don't realize what our political leaders have done.