Iraq.
No word in recent memory evokes an array of emotions as Iraq does.
No need to repeat here the invectives, nor the words of support.
The one word, however, that Iraq does not immediately elicit is agriculture.
In the south-central province of Qadisiyah, in the city of Diwaniyah, 110 miles south of Baghdad and far from the intense firefights and bombings, the people are trying to get on with their lives.
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Kerry MacNeal of Somers went over as part civil affairs specialist and part warrior and ended up spearheading efforts to restore and strengthen the province”™s farming community and introduce them to the concept of agribusiness. His hard work from September 2006 to this past November resulted in his receiving the Bronze Star medal.
It was no easy task navigating the governmental mindset of autocracy and sheik-ruled tribes to form a confluence of ideas and agreement.
“The biggest challenge was moving from a centrally planned economy to a capitalist economy under a democratic institution,” said MacNeal, who was attached to the 358th Civil Affairs Brigade of Norristown, Pa. “The leadership in Iraq is new and they”™re not used to working with each other.”
That”™s putting it mildly.
In his diary, he wrote: “The Director of Irrigation does not trust the Sheiks. He considers them to be greedy, too powerful, and a tribal anachronism of a cultural clan system that has no part in a modern world led by legitimate government. The Sheiks believe the government is artificial, doesn”™t provide services and steals all the peoples”™ money. For this reason, it”™s best to let them watch each other by requiring their projects be done and paid in tandem. If you wish to prevent theft of these valuable commodities you must set two thieves to watch each other. This is best for long term cooperation after we leave too. In actuality, the Iraqi Police are the most corrupt and need the Iraqi Army to control them.”
That said, MacNeal had his work cut out for him.
Under Saddam Hussein”™s autocratic and socialistic rule, farmers were told how much to produce and who to sell it to. The decision making was all done by the central government via ministries: of trade, of construction and housing, of health and so forth.
Working out of his barely livable FOB, forward operating base, MacNeal tapped into the business acumen he acquired after working 30 years with IBM, along with his 36 years in the Army.
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As the deputy liaison officer, he restored the claims program that had been idle for about two years. The program allows Iraqis to file claims against the U.S. military for the destruction of their property or personal losses that were not the direct result of battle damage. Their initial claims had been denied due to “combat action” since they are living in a war zone. As a countermeasure, MacNeal initially set up a plan that would disburse “sympathy money.” However, he learned that in the Arab culture there are only limited gestures for gifts, such as wedding gifts and gifts to children under three. No sympathy gifts, only payments. Once he understood the semantics, the money was paid to claimants.
It was a continuing learning process for MacNeal.
To introduce the democratic process to the citizens, MacNeal turned to the farmers to break the cycle of central government control. For about five months, he worked with the 21 tribes in the region to form agricultural unions. Once established, they would be recognized by the Iraqi minister of planning as non-governmental organizations. The designation would allow the farmers to secure funds for equipment and supplies, seek foreign investment, build food processing and packaging factories, and permit the export of their food at market prices, instead of being forced to sell to government silo operators and agents. Fifteen districts were set up in Qadisiyah.
Profit sharing would now enter the Iraqi lexicon. Independence and democracy would also be added.
It was a lot of work and a lot of meetings. Not many businessmen like MacNeal walk into high-level conferences with a 9mm pistol strapped to their legs and carrying an M4 machine gun.
The meetings were no quiet endeavors. Sheiks would threaten to bolt from the meetings, MacNeal said, often standing and moving toward the door. But it was a ruse. They would return to their seats. Long considered opponents of the government, they would ultimately be the winners; leading the agriculture unions.
Amber rice, a popular crop, has been considered valuable since the days of Mesopotamia, MacNeal said. Other major crops include palm tree dates, cotton, soybeans, wheat, barley and white corn.
In addition to getting farmers back to work, one of the underlying aspects of the unions is to get farmers and sheiks to be responsible for security in their respective areas. By returning some 300,000 people to working on farms, MacNeal said, the action depletes the militias of manpower.
After a little R&R with his wife, Linda, at their new home in Somers, MacNeal is heading back to Iraq in January. This time however, he will be leaving his Army uniform at home and returning as a diplomat for the U.S. State Department.
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