Rower_CPU
Dec 4, 2003, 04:42 PM
http://www.newyorker.com/printable/?fact/031124fa_fact1
Hanging on the wall of Erdmann’s office was a sign that reminded him of his mission. It read, “end state: a durable peace for a united and stable, democratic iraq that provides effective and representative government for and by the iraqi people; is underpinned by new and protected freedoms and a growing market economy; and no longer poses a threat to its neighbors or international security and is able to defend itself.”
Erdmann believed in this goal, but he was wary of the lofty rhetoric. One of his favorite books, which he was trying to find time to reread in Baghdad, is the French historian Marc Bloch’s “Strange Defeat,” a firsthand account of the collapse of France in 1940. Bloch served in the French Army in both world wars and then joined the Resistance before his capture, torture, and execution by the Nazis. Erdmann, in talking about his own efforts in Iraq, more than once cited a passage from “Strange Defeat”: “The ABC of our profession is to avoid these large abstract terms in order to try to discover behind them the only concrete realities, which are human beings.”
The ongoing debate over the war in Iraq has rarely moved beyond abstract terms to take into account the human beings—Iraqis and Americans alike—whose lives are affected by decisions in Washington. To Erdmann, success in Iraq will ultimately depend on the small, concrete actions of individuals on the ground. The psychological demands of the occupation were daunting, he said, and added, “Some people can navigate it, some people can’t. Some people can make a mistake and recalibrate, others can’t. On both sides.” He paused. “So much of this is up to the wisdom of people—their prudence, their judgment.”
Hanging on the wall of Erdmann’s office was a sign that reminded him of his mission. It read, “end state: a durable peace for a united and stable, democratic iraq that provides effective and representative government for and by the iraqi people; is underpinned by new and protected freedoms and a growing market economy; and no longer poses a threat to its neighbors or international security and is able to defend itself.”
Erdmann believed in this goal, but he was wary of the lofty rhetoric. One of his favorite books, which he was trying to find time to reread in Baghdad, is the French historian Marc Bloch’s “Strange Defeat,” a firsthand account of the collapse of France in 1940. Bloch served in the French Army in both world wars and then joined the Resistance before his capture, torture, and execution by the Nazis. Erdmann, in talking about his own efforts in Iraq, more than once cited a passage from “Strange Defeat”: “The ABC of our profession is to avoid these large abstract terms in order to try to discover behind them the only concrete realities, which are human beings.”
The ongoing debate over the war in Iraq has rarely moved beyond abstract terms to take into account the human beings—Iraqis and Americans alike—whose lives are affected by decisions in Washington. To Erdmann, success in Iraq will ultimately depend on the small, concrete actions of individuals on the ground. The psychological demands of the occupation were daunting, he said, and added, “Some people can navigate it, some people can’t. Some people can make a mistake and recalibrate, others can’t. On both sides.” He paused. “So much of this is up to the wisdom of people—their prudence, their judgment.”
