Dec. 15, 2006 — President Bush has spent the last few weeks engaged in complex briefings with senior military officers, State Department officials and outside experts as he tries to come up with a new plan to achieve victory in Iraq.
But a young captain serving in Iraq's violent Al Anbar Province has offered a simple explanation of what the problem was in Iraq and how to solve it. Among his observations is the importance of having a moustache in Iraq.
In a military known for its sleep-inducing, graphically dizzying PowerPoint presentations, the young captain's presentation, which has been unofficially circulating through the ranks, stands out. Using stick figures and simple language, it articulates the same goal as the president's in Iraq.
The creator of this PowerPoint presentation, "How to Win in Al Anbar," was Capt. Travis Patriquin.
But Patriquin will not see victory in Iraq. He was killed by the same improvised explosive device that killed Maj. Megan McClung of the Marine Corps last Wednesday.
Patriquin had fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. A gifted officer, he spoke numerous languages, including Arabic.
"How to Win in Al Anbar" may not make it to the desk of the president, but maybe it should.
The 18 page Powerpoint presentation is ingenious in its simplicity. Two points: grow a mustache and let the local militias become the local police to stop insurgents. While simplistic, it does show two broader points. First, in order to effectively deal with Iraqis you must understand the local culture. Evidently, Iraq men do not trust people without mustaches. So grow a mustache and you can start to gain the trust. Learn the local culture and custom and you can deal with people on a human level.
The second point, is interesting. Let the cities be locally controlled (as they have been for thousands of years) and insurgants will not be able to wrestle control away. Its self policing. Its what we have been trying to do, but faling. Capt. Patriquin beleives that working with the Sheiks can bring order to the regions. Well Capt. Patriquin isn't alone. See The Iraq Study Group Report, Recomendation # 52.
UPDATE: Capt. Patriquin's Powerpoint presentation can be found here.
Technorati: Iraq War Bush Middle East Capt. Patriquin Powerpoint
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