The seal of the CPA in Iraq

History of the CPA

Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) was the organization established by the United States Government that acted as a caretaker administration in Iraq until civilian rule resumed on June 28, 2004.

Its administrator (from April 21, 2003) was Jay Garner. On May 11, Paul Bremer arrived in Baghdad as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which superseded ORHA. Bremer's office was a division of the United States Department of Defense, and as Administrator he reported directly to the United States Secretary of Defense. Bremer's original deputy was Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the former British ambassador to the UN. Sir Jeremy's role was then taken over by David Richmond , a relatively junior British diplomat.

On July 22, 2003, the CPA appointed a special Iraq interim governing council made up of prominent Iraqis from various sectors of Iraqi society. Though still subject to the authority of the CPA administrator, the council had several key powers of its own. Their duties included appointing representatives to the United Nations, appointing interim ministers to Iraq's vacant cabinet positions, and drafting a constitution that will later be voted on by the Iraqi people. The presidency of the council rotated every month (see president of Iraq). The CPA was dissolved at 10:26 AM local time on June 28, 2004 and power was transferred to the Iraq provisional government.

Criticisms of the CPA

The CPA's lack of adequate audit controls

In May of 2003 the CPA took over the responsibility for administering the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI). This 20 billion dollar fund was what remained of Iraqi oil revenue held in trust on behalf of the Iraqi people. Previously it had been administered through the United Nations, and was known as the Oil for food programme. The CPA also administered 18.4 billion dollars which the US Congress allocated for Iraqi reconstruction.

Ambassador Bremer expended funds almost exclusively from the DFI. By June of 2004 the CPA had spent, or allocated, 19.1 billion dollars of the Iraqi funds -- while spending only 400 million dollars from the American reconstruction funds.

Critics suggest that Bremer selectively spent from the DFI because it was more free from accounting oversight by the GAO.

The CPA's staffing policies

CPA chief Paul Bremer replied to criticisms of the CPA by pleading that he was burdened by an inexperienced staff, with a high turnover. However, critics of Ambassador Bremer would suggest that he bore the responsibility for setting the CPA's hiring practices, and those hiring practices give the appearance of being highly partisan.

In a Washington Post profile of CPA staff quotes a Pentagon spokesman:

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Joseph Yoswa said the CPA was satisfied with the quality of applicants. Some staffers may have been young and inexperienced, he said, but "we have people right out of college leading troops on the ground.

Yoswa said the recruiting office had to hire quickly for the Madrid donors conference that fall and "turned to the Heritage Foundation, an educational facility, albeit a conservative one, but primarily a place where you can get good, solid people." He said this was a one-time event and that there was no organized effort to hire Republicans.

In late October, he said, the Pentagon set up a job site on the Web. Eleven thousand people filled out an application and several hundred of them were hired. "Nowhere did we ask party affiliation," he said.

The Washington Post article quotes Colonel Yoswa for official acknowlegement of something the several dozen CPA staffers revealed. The sole criteria the CPA used to choose their staff was a referral by the controversial Heritage Foundation think tank. Ambassador Bremer was responsible for the hiring policy that caused his staff to be composed of young and inexperienced staff, who were then assigned responsibilities outside their nominal fields of expertise.

The lack of progress of the reconstruction of the Iraqi infrastructure

Although the CPA awarded contracts for essential reconstruction to American firms, those firms did relatively little work. This reconstruction work was not a luxury. It was essential. Bechtel, for instance, was awarded the contract to repair the Iraqi sewage and drinking water plants. This they failed to do. And the CPA failed to force them to do so, and failed to rescind their contract, when they proved unwilling or incapable of performing their contracted tasks.

Summary of Accomplishments

The following is an excerpt written by the Coalition Provisional Authority. The document in its entirety is archived on the former CPA website until June 30, 2005.

"After decades of dictatorship, the Iraqi people now control their destiny and have established many of the conditions needed for a free and prosperous future. Today, Iraq is focused on fostering the development of a market-based economy. Now free of building palaces for the elite and developing weapons of mass destructions, Iraq is using its resources for the benefit of its people. At the core of this new Iraq is the development of a democratic, accountable, and self-governing civil society respectful of human rights and freedom of expression.

Iraq has many challenges ahead; however, it is poised to be a nation united, prosperous, and able to take its rightful place as a responsible member of the region and the international community.

Over the course of the last fourteen months the Coalition Provisional Authority has focused on helping Iraqis build four foundational pillars for their sovereignty: Security, Governance, Essential Services, Economy.

Security

CPA assisted the Iraqi government in constructing the means to assume responsibility for external and internal security, including its own defense and police forces, and in establishing relationships with regional states and with the international community. CPA also assisted Iraq to clearly define within a legal framework, the roles and accountabilities of organizations providing security. Three Iraqi ministries play a primary role in Security: Defense, Interior and Justice.

Governance

CPA worked with Iraqis to ensure the early restoration of full sovereignty to the Iraqi people. The July 13, 2003 establishment of a Governing Council (GC), and the June 1, 2004 establishment of the Interim Iraqi government were major steps toward that goal. The establishment of effective representative government, ultimately sustained by democratic elections, has required the rapid development of new frameworks and capacities.

• An Interim Constitution
• Respect for the rule of law and human rights
• Effective and fair justice systems
• Open and transparent political institutions and processes
• Creation of a vibrant civil society
• Measures to improve the effectiveness of elected officials, including strengthened local government systems

Six Iraqi ministries play a primary role in Governance: Foreign Affairs, Women’s Issues, Human Rights, Culture, Youth and Sport, and Planning and Development Cooperation.

Essential Services

CPA helped the Iraqi government to reconstitute Iraq’s infrastructure, maintain a high level of oil production, ensure food security, improve water and sanitation infrastructure, improve health care quality and access, rehabilitate key infrastructures such as transportation and communications, improve education, and improve housing- quality and access.

Eleven Iraqi ministries play a primary role in Essential Services: Education, Higher Education, Health, Displacement and Migration, Communications, Municipalities and Public Works, Electricity, Housing and Construction, Water Resources, Transportation, Environment

Economy

CPA helped the Iraqi government to build market-based economy by:

• Modernizing the Central Bank, strengthening the commercial banking sector and re-establishing the Stock Exchange and securities market
• Developing transparent budgeting and accounting arrangements, and a framework for sound public sector finances and resource allocation
• Laying the foundation for an open economy by drafting company, labor and intellectual property laws and streamlining existing commercial codes and regulations
• Promoting private business and SMEs through building up the domestic banking sector and credit arrangements.
• Establishing the structure of the oil industry. Seven Iraqi ministries play a leading role in Economy: Oil, Labor and Social Activity, Agriculture, Trade, Science and Technology, Industry and Minerals, and Finance.”

See also

• Civilian Administrator of Iraq
• Provisional Government

External links

• Coalition Provisional Authority : News releases, mission statements, and budgets from the CPA (English and Arabic).
• U.S. Tightens Grip On Iraq's Future (Wall St Journal on Iraq's looming "independence")
• Iraq - Interim Constitution : English Translation of Iraq's Interim Constitution.
• In Iraq, the Job Opportunity of a Lifetime: Managing a $13 Billion Budget With No Experience Washington Post, May 22nd 2004
• Boston Globe article that recounts questionable fiscal management on the part of the CPA.
• U.S. Funds for Iraq Are Largely Unspent Washington Post, July 4th, 2004.