U.S. House Members Ask: Are Security Gains in Iraq Sustainable with Less Troops?

"The end of the war was never considered," declared Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, the second ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee. Thus began yesterday's hearing on U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen. A lot of discussion focused on plans to reduce U.S. forces in Iraq to pre-surge levels (less than 140,000) by February 2009.

According to Secretary Gates, "This continuing drawdown is possible because of the success achieved in reducing violence and building Iraqi security capacity."

However, Republican Rep. John M. McHugh of New York questioned the sustainability of security improvements and building up Iraqi security capacity while drawing down U.S. forces. He cited a July 2008 GAO report that finds significant deficiencies in the training of Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), including a shortage of U.S. personnel. According to the GAO, the U.S. military has failed to develop a comprehensive strategy to solve the shortage of manpower for training the ISF. Admiral Mullen said plans for comprehensive training are being addressed and that the root problem is a need for more personnel to train private security contractors (PSCs).

Secretary Gates also expressed caution about the rate of future troop withdrawals. Covering the hearing, today's Washington Post reports:

Despite their focus on Afghanistan, both Gates and Mullen said that the situation in Iraq remains uncertain and could require more forces in the future. "I worry that the great progress" by U.S. and Iraqi forces could override caution and lead to an excessively rapid drawdown, said Gates, noting that U.S. commanders in Iraq remain concerned about "many challenges and potential for reversals." In sum, he said, "we should expect to be involved in Iraq for years to come, although in changing and increasingly limited ways."

Another challenge to ensuring sustainable security in Iraq is the flagging development of Iraqi institutions and civil society, something Secretary Gates acknowledged in his testimony. However, when a Representative pointedly asked if Iraq is "coup-proof", Gates failed to mention the role that a strong civilian government and civil society can play in preventing a military takeover or return to widespread sectarian violence. Instead, he highlighted the Government of Iraq's reappointment of new military leaders as helping to ensure that all factions of Iraqi society feel represented and protected.

Indeed, writing "How to Leave a Stable Iraq" for Foreign Affairs, coauthors Stephen Biddle at the Council on Foreign Relations and Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack at the Brookings Institution highlight improvements in the ISF's composition and leadership.

Sectarian, corrupt, incompetent, and turncoat officers have been removed. Aggressive recruitment and new amnesty and de-Baathification ordinances have led to increases in both the number of Sunnis, especially in the officer corps, and the number of people with prior military experience in the forces. Now, about 80 percent of the Iraqi army's officers and 50 percent of its rank and file are veterans of Saddam Hussein's military, and one of the most capable units in the Iraqi army, the First Brigade of the First Infantry Division, is 60 percent Sunni

Of course, making Iraq both "coup proof" and peaceful will require additional democratic safeguards and a more holistic approach to building security. For example, consider the stabilizing role of humanitarian relief and protection for 4.8 million displaced Iraqis (nearly 17% of Iraq's entire population). Large numbers of Iraqi middle-class professionals -- desperately needed for Iraq's recovery and development -- have fled to Syria, Jordan, and other nearby countries. In addition, women, young children, and the elderly -- all of whom are the least likely to perpetrate violence -- are disproportionately represented among the dispossessed. By working to ensure the survival of all of these displaced Iraqis and by creating conditions in Iraq that allow many to eventually return -- voluntarily, in safety, and with dignity -- the U.S. and international community can support a 'virtuouse cycle' that leads to lasting peace and prosperity in Iraq.

Likewise, strengthening civilian institutions, improving public education, expanding access to health care, providing reliable electricity, and supporting the development of a vibrant Iraqi middle class are essential elements of healthy democracies.

To phase out the heavy U.S. military presence in Iraq responsibly, safely and with the careful consideration that was lacking at the war's inception, a re-balancing of U.S. policy on Iraq is needed. Congress ought to hold additional hearings to assess the U.S. administration's response to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and the region, and what more can be done to stabilize Iraq through effective humanitarian relief and development assistance.

Photo Caption: Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen testifies before a House panel on developing security conditions and U.S. military requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan (Source: Washington Post, 9/10/08, photo by Mark Wilson, Getty Images).

Experience the 2008 IRAQ FORUM

The humanitarian impact of the war in Iraq is one of the most ignored and urgent crises of our time. To bring more attention to the crisis, EPIC organized Iraq Action Days – a joint initiative of more than 20 organizations – bringing hundreds of constituents to Washington DC to demand humanitarian action for peace in Iraq.

A major part of Iraq Action Days is The 2008 IRAQ FORUM: a series of panels and lectures by the best minds on Iraq, including United Nations and government officials, human rights advocates, aid workers and leading experts from Iraq and the region. Thanks to participation from activists across the country, the Q and A discussion was lively and extremely informative, particularly in challenging government officials to do more. For the first time, you can watch the 2008 IRAQ FORUM online in its entirety.

Become part of the experience. Watch the 2008 IRAQ FORUM now.


Introduction (4:17) from Sarah Shannon on Vimeo.

What are the latest trends in violence? How are innocent civilians affected by the conflict? Why is so little known about the second largest displaced population in the world? What is being done and what must still be done to help vulnerable Iraqis? The 2008 IRAQ FORUM addresses these questions and more.

Video caption: Opening remarks by MC Zahir Janmohamed from Amnesty International and Erik Gustafson of the Education for Peace in Iraq Center.(IRAQ FORUM, April 14, 2008).

Plight of Iraqi refugees demands 'humanitarian surge'

In today’s edition of The Hill, Congressmen Hastings and Dingell published an editorial calling for a “humanitarian surge” to confront the refugee and displacement crisis in Iraq. “Not nearly enough attention and resources have been devoted to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region…Iraqis remain stranded, jobless and deprived of essential services, with conditions worsening by the day. As resources are depleted and desperation sets in, this deepening humanitarian crisis threatens to further destabilize the entire region.”

Congressmen Hastings and Dingell, along with Congressman Shays, recently introduced the Iraqi Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement, and Security Act (H.R. 6496), a long-term comprehensive strategy to address the humanitarian and security crisis in Iraq and the region.

Specifically, H.R. 6496 supports a multi-year, comprehensive plan to address the deepening crisis facing Iraqi refugees, displaced persons and other vulnerable Iraqis by doing the following:

• Authorizing $700 million for each of the fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011 for the relief of Iraqi refugees, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable Iraqis;
  
• Increasing direct accountable bilateral assistance, as appropriate under U.S. law, and funding for international organizations and NGOs working in the region;
  
• Authorizing $500 million to increase infrastructure support for Jordan to help meet the needs of 100,000s of Iraqi refugees;
  
• Providing technical assistance to grow the capacity of Iraqi government agencies responding to humanitarian needs inside Iraq;
  
• Increasing Iraqi refugees admissions to the United States by 20,000 for FY 2009, 2010 and 2011, and requires improvements in the efficiency of the resettlement application process;
  
• Establishing a Special Coordinator for Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons within the Executive Office of the President to ensure expeditious and effective implementation of the overall strategy; and
  
• Urging increased cooperation between the United States government and the international community to address this crisis.

The bill has already been endorsed by more than 25 non-governmental organizations and religious groups and is generating a huge amount of excitement in the NGO community. In their editorial, Congressmen Hastings and Dingell urge their colleagues to “set partisan politics aside and work together to find common solutions to this desperate situation.”

The House Foreign Affairs Committee Approves a Bill to Help Iraqi Refugees

Yesterday, I watched as the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved H.R. 6328, a bill creating a White House coordinator for Iraqi Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Executive Office of the President. The creation of such a high level position could strengthen America's ability to respond to the humanitarian crisis.

The coordinator will:

• Develop and implement U.S. policies, coordinate federal functions, and address the protection, resettlement, and assistance needs of Iraqi refugees and displaced persons
  
• Monitor the development and implementation of assistance strategies to countries in the Middle East hosting Iraqi refugees
  
• ensure that the President's budget requests to Congress are sufficient to meet the needs of such persons, including providing assistance for international efforts on behalf of such persons
  
• Serve as principal liaison with the government of Iraq and the international community and organizations that are assisting such persons
  
• Ensure that the U.S. government will encourage refugee returns only when conditions permit safe and voluntary returns
  

Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and cosponsor of the bill, stressed the need for action: "Communities have been overrun by violence from all sides, uprooting families and destroying livelihoods. We have a moral obligation to make every effort to help these people, especially those who have assisted our forces and personnel in Iraq and who fear they may never be able to go home.” The bill would be a very productive step in getting the White House to publicly recognize the crisis.

We commend Chairman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) on his leadership, and the 10 cosponsors for supporting this important measure. It may be referred to another committee before reaching the floor of the House for a vote.

Photo Caption: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman of California listens as ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida makes an opening statement during recent markup hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

HOPE

“If I had found a job here [in the US], a good job when I came, I would, probably….. I would not go back [to Iraq]”. These are the words of Jack (name changed), an Iraqi interpreter who had worked with the US military in Iraq from May 2004 until September 2007.

Like many Iraqi interpreters, Jack became a target of death threats because of his work with the US military; and did not have an option but to flee Iraq after surviving an assassination attempt. The journey to safety was not a smooth one, though. After waiting for more than two years for a US visa, Jack arrived in the US with hopes of being a contributor to his adopted country. After trying, Jack could not find a job that matches his qualifications. He again had no option and had to go back to the all familiar (yet unwanted) dangerous environment.

Read entire story.

The story seems to be common with US-resettled Iraqis.

We bring this up today with a glimpse of a hopeful beginning. There is, gladly, a realization in Congress that Iraqis resettled in the US are talented individuals; ready to be utilized for the benefit of this nation. To that end, last week, Representative Steve Israel (D-NY) sponsored an amendment that calls on the Secretaries of both the Defense and State departments to establish and operate a program that will offer employment for US-resettled Iraqis within the federal agencies. EPIC was one of several organizations that endorsed the amendment and we are pleased to report that the amendment passed. Representative Israel’s amendment is to be applauded and we are proud to have endorsed it. Such amendments are necessary to keep Jack and people with similar backgrounds out of danger. Two of those people have written statements in support of the amendment that are worth-sharing.

A statement from “Harry” who worked with the U.S. Army in Civil Affairs Units and other units in Iraq for four years, and relocated with the help of a humanitarian friend to the US in 2007:

“My family and I have come to this wonderful welcoming community with many supportive and helpful people, but few jobs. We have found it terribly difficult to find work in the United States. I have only managed to find a very part-time job grading papers and giving lectures in Arabic classes, but it only pays $1,500 per semester. We love it here and would like to stay here. My experiences, I think, are valuable. My fellow translators and I have so much to contribute to the United States, working for local, state, or federal agencies within this country. I hope you will pass this bill to help enable us to find viable work and make a great contribution to our new adopted country, which we love. Thank you.”

A Statement from “Andy” who worked with the U.S. Army in several units in Iraq for almost four years, and now lives in the US:

“We are so glad to be in the United States, out of danger. My wife and little daughter love it here. The biggest problem we have is employment for me. I have only been able to find part-time work that pays $10,000 a year, and social services have been very difficult to obtain. We thought that we would be entitled to some governmental assistance, but our American friends here have been having to fight on our behalf to get any services. My abilities in Arabic-English translation and vice versa, and my abilities and eagerness to be a cultural ambassador, would serve the United States well. We could work locally, or at the state or national level to give language and cultural instruction or to be translators and interpreters. I hope that you will make it easier for us to support our families and at the same time contribute as residents of this great country. Thank you for your consideration.”

Given the positive impact the program will make, we urge both the State and Defense departments to quickly establish and start it.

Note: names of interpreters have been changed to protect their identities.

The Humanitarian Measure in Numbers:

Peacebuilders,

Like promised, here are more details on the measure approved yesterday. The following is a description of the programs related to addressing the Iraqi displacement crisis and the funds approved by the Congress for those programs’ accounts:

Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA):
• The Department of State’s Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account helps the United States meet its domestic and international obligations to protect and assist refugees and host communities. The two major line-items within MRA are overseas refugee assistance and U.S. refugee admissions. MRA funds for overseas assistance are used to support UN agencies, the ICRC, and international NGOs to provide protection and direct assistance to refugees. The Refugee Admissions portion of MRA provides funding to identify, admit, and provide initial reception and placement services for refugees admitted to the United States. Resettlement serves as a durable solution for individual refugees and demonstrates responsibility-sharing to encourage countries of “first asylum” to keep their doors open to refugees in need of protection. For fiscal years 2008 and 2009, Congress approved $680,500,000.

International Disaster Assistance Account (IDA):
• IDA helps address the needs of a wide range of civilians displaced or otherwise affected by conflict or other disasters. Congress should ensure funding for this program to address urgent humanitarian needs inside Iraq. The funding will allow for increased support to non-governmental organizations assisting vulnerable Iraqis and for a robust U.S. response to the needs identified in the U.N. Consolidated Appeal for Iraq. For fiscal years 2008 and 2009, Congress approved $665,000,000.

Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA):
• ERMA is an account that the President may draw on at any time to meet “unexpected urgent refugee needs”. ERMA funds are used to respond to breaks in the food pipeline, unanticipated new emergencies or unforeseen escalations in existing crises. For fiscal year 2008, Congress approved $36,608,000.

Iraq Community Action Program (CAP):
• CAP is a USAID program which is implemented by an alliance of U.S. based NGOs and is funded through the Economic Support Fund (ESF) account. This program works with Iraqi communities to identify their own needs and implement sustainable rehabilitation projects by promoting citizen-government engagement and local economic development. For fiscal year 2008, Congress approved $75,000,000.

Marla Ruzicka Iraqi War Victims Fund:
• The fund provides continued assistance to Iraqi civilians who suffer losses as a result of the military operations. For fiscal year 2008, Congress approved $5,000,000.

ADDITIONALLY, the Marla Ruzicka Iraqi War Victims Fund and the Community Action Program (CAP) were allocated $30,000,000 in unspecified initial funding for fiscal year 2009. Bringing the total funding of both programs to $110,000,000 for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

Bilateral Assistance to help Iraqi refugees in Jordan:
• Through the Economic Support Fund (ESF), Congress approved $150,000,000 for Jordan during fiscal year 2008. This amount is to be used to meet the needs of Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

You called for these accounts to be funded during your advocacy days and through your phone calls. We are pleased to see that your lawmakers listened to you and that our combined efforts have made an impact.

It is indeed an important step, but we still need to keep the vulnerable Iraqis along with their families in mind and we should help them in every way possible. Please take a minute to sign our humanitarian pledge (join the thousand people who have already signed) and in this holiday weekend, we invite your generous giving spirit to support EPIC’s work.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Your advocacy contributes to victory; Congress approves humanitarian measure

Thanks to your phone calls and energetic advocacy work during Iraq Action Days, the House of Representatives voted on May 15th and the Senate voted today to approve almost $1.6 billion that will address the humanitarian crisis vulnerable and displaced Iraqis endure. The measure is part of the emergency spending bill for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. Now, the bill goes back to the House for final approval as soon as tomorrow and the debate over it might extend after Memorial Day recess.

This is clearly a victory for the vulnerable Iraqis and their families and is a testament to what could be accomplished if hands and efforts are combined to achieve a common goal. EPIC is pleased that the goal in this case is assisting the vulnerable Iraqi refugees. More details to come on the bill tomorrow and we will certainly keep you updated on the final outcome.

In the meantime, please take a minute to sign our humanitarian pledge and support our efforts to advocate for vulnerable Iraqis. Your support is making a difference, so keep up the good work.

Update: Emergency Spending Bill in da House

As we informed you yesterday, the emergency spending bill is being debated on the floor of the house as this entry is being written. Many of you have already taken action and contacted their elected representatives urging them to support the bill. We want to express our gratitude to those peacebuilders whose support and dedication are significant parts of our efforts to help vulnerable Iraqi refugees.

In addition to the bill being debated right now, we also want to report that the deadline for the bill might extend until June 15 (Latest: Members of the House voted on the bill on Thursday, May 15). This development provides extra time to ensure that your voices as concerned constituents are loudly and clearly heard by members of the house.

We urgently need you to call your Representative RIGHT NOW via the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Tell them:

• Time is running out for many of Iraq's most vulnerable civilians and refugees. Millions of Iraqis across the region are finding themselves in desperate need of basic humanitarian assistance, including food, health care and education.

• One of the amendments to the emergency spending bill under consideration would provide an additional $1 billion in lifesaving humanitarian assistance for FY 2008 and FY 2009 to assist Iraqis and other victims of conflict ($675 million for refugees and $400 million for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable civilians). It would provide another $250 million in bilateral assistance to Jordan to help Iraqi refugees and alleviate the strain on national systems.
  

• The emergency spending bill is the fastest and only available means to address unmet humanitarian needs in Iraq and the region for FY 2008.

• The passage of the bill will demonstrate to the world that the U.S. is doing its part in helping the Iraqi refugees and as a result will improve the worldwide image of the United States.

We are very pleased with the responses we have received from you so if you have time, drop us a note about how it went or leave a comment on this blog.

Thank you for taking action on behalf of vulnerable Iraqis and their families.

Photo credit: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she thinks a compromise is likely. (Ken Cedeno - Bloomberg News)

ACT NOW: House Vote to Determine Fate of Millions in Need

As early as noon TOMORROW, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on an emergency spending bill for fiscal years 2008 and 2009, including an amendment that would provide over $1.3 billion in lifesaving humanitarian assistance for Iraqi refugees and vulnerable civilians in Iraq, as well as other global humanitarian concerns.

Without your help, this hard-fought humanitarian provision is likely to get stripped out of the emergency spending package! Such an outcome would be catastrophic for millions of war-affected Iraqis who are facing a deepening humanitarian crisis.

We urgently need you to call your Representative RIGHT NOW via the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Tell them:

• Time is running out for many of Iraq's most vulnerable civilians and refugees. Millions of Iraqis across the region are finding themselves in desperate need of basic humanitarian assistance, including food, health care and education.
  

• We not only have a moral obligation to help, it is a matter of international security. Effective humanitarian assistance to Iraqis in the region will save lives, create stability, and improve America's standing in the world.

• One of the amendments to the emergency spending bill under consideration would provide an additional $1 billion in lifesaving humanitarian assistance for FY 2008 and FY 2009 to assist Iraqis and other victims of conflict ($675 million for refugees and $400 million for internally displaced persons and other vulnerable civilians). It would provide another $250 million in bilateral assistance to Jordan to help Iraqi refugees and alleviate the strain on national systems.

• The emergency spending bill is the fastest and only available means to address unmet humanitarian needs in Iraq and the region for FY 2008.

During Iraq Action Days, concerned citizens like you met with Members of Congress and urged them to strengthen emergency humanitarian funding and bilateral assistance for the current fiscal year. It is time to make our case again.

Please take a minute RIGHT NOW to call your elected Representative via the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Urge him/her to work with colleagues to prevent humanitarian funding for vulnerable Iraqis from being stripped out of the FY08 emergency spending bill.

If you have time, drop us a note about how it went or leave a comment on this blog. Thank you for taking action on behalf of vulnerable Iraqis and their families.

Bush, State Department Continue to Fail U.S. Allies in Need

In his eight days in the Middle East, President Bush visited six countries (seven, depending on how you count Palestine). Among the high points: he re-affirmed American support for a Palestinian state, called on Israel to return to its 1967 borders, and announced a $20 billion dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia. However, the President remained silent on the Iraqi refugee crisis.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S., State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos has conceded that the U.S. is falling far short of its goal for taking in Iraqi translators and interpreters under threat for working with the United States in Iraq. But contained within his public acknowledgement was something even more disturbing. Gallegos suggested that the State Dept. is counting these specially-designated Iraqis against it's commitment to resettle 12,000 Iraqi refugees in FY 2008.

In fact, Senator Kennedy and Congress recently passed the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act that requires the admission of 5,000 Iraqis through expedited Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) IN ADDITION TO whatever targets established by the Administration for Iraqi refugees. Furthermore, the Kennedy bill expands who is eligible to apply for SIVs beyond just translators and interpreters (a detail the major media outlets continue to overlook). The mechanism is also intended to help protect especially vulnerable Iraqis who belong to a group facing persecution.

Nevertheless, there is a reason why Iraqi translators and interpreters are getting most of the attention. According to the Washington Post:

Thousands of Iraqi translators have assisted U.S. forces since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, risking their lives and leaving their families vulnerable to retaliation from insurgents who see them as accomplices of American troops.

More than 250 of the interpreters working with the United States -- or with U.S. contractors -- have been killed. But the U.S. asylum program for translators seeking to leave the country has fallen far short of demand and, at times, short of what other coalition countries have offered their Iraqi staff.

Unfortunately, the State Department is not only lagging far behind its commitment to resettle 12,000 Iraqi refugees, it is now trying to confuse that commitment with a separate requirement by Congress to resettle 5,000 especially vulnerable Iraqis through SIVs. The total target that the State Dept. ought to reaffirm is 17,000 for FY 2008, which is still a tiny fraction of the 4.5 million Iraqis who have been displaced. All of that and Bush's ongoing silence about the entire refugee crisis has us very worried. We'll be listening to his State of the Union speech, scheduled for next Tuesday (Jan. 29th), with great interest.