Losing the Golden Hour; An Insider's View of Iraq's Reconstruction
Washington DC: Potomac Books, Inc., 2007. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xx, 175, [5] pages. Inscribed by the author on the half-title page. Inscription reads: To Paul-A man who has been in the "Red Zone." Thank you for your service in Iraq. James Stephenson. Small book related card laid in. This is an ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Book. Foreword by Richard L. Armitage. Illustrations. Glossary. Map. Appendix. Index. Former Foreign Service officer James Stephenson was one of the people responsible for planning the rebuilding of Iraq following the U.S. invasion and toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. In 2004-05, Stephenson lived and worked in Iraq, trying to create and implement plans to help the Iraqis rebuild their shattered nation. As the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in the country, Stephenson was in a position to observe closely the ways in which the various U.S. civilian and military units tried to put the country back together. In his observations, he found bickering, micromanagement, and reluctance to release funds. Stephenson's particular concern in Losing the Golden Hour is the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), under the leadership of Ambassador Paul L. Bremer III and Admiral David Nash. The CPA took over financial management of the reconstruction project, giving USAID and other agencies funds only to the extent that they could advance the CPA's stated goals. Stephenson finally had to turn to the U.S. Army for assistance, and it was in partnership with the First Cavalry Division that USAID was finally able to make an impact on the people of Iraq. More