Saving Iraq; Rebuilding A Broken Nation
London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xix, [1], 297, [3] pages. Inscribed on the half title by the author. The inscription reads: To David Abshire, With my highest respect and warmest best wishes. Nemir. Includes Map, Introduction; Part One--Iraq past: Prosperous Hashemite monarchy to brutal dictatorship, 1921 --1990: A road of hope becomes a tunnel of despair; Lessons and examples from the past. Part Two --the build-up to war, occupation, and disintegration, 1990-2008: A road to a new Iraq not taken; The neo-conservative recipe for disaster; Giant steps backward; Part Three--Iraq future -- A blueprint for prosperity and peace: Making a new political start; Fueling progress with oil; Building a vibrant economy; Developing the greatest resource; and Awaiting visionary leaders. Also includes Conclusion, Endnotes, Acknowledgments, Index, and About the author. Nemir Amin Kirdar (28 October 1936 – 8 June 2020) was an Iraqi Turkmen banker, billionaire, businessman, financier and author. He held British citizenship. Kirdar graduated from the University of the Pacific in California in 1960, with a bachelor's degree in economics. After settling in New York, Kirdar earned an MBA at Fordham University's night school. In 1974, he joined Chase Manhattan Bank in New York as vice president. Kirdar worked in the Middle East, overseeing and directing Chase's banking network in the region. In 1982, he founded Investcorp, and was a founding father of private equity, and an economic and cultural bridge-builder. Investcorp was a global alternative investment group that connected investors in the Gulf to investment opportunities in the West. David Manker Abshire (April 11, 1926 – October 31, 2014) was vice chairman and counselor of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and president of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation of New York until his death in 2014. He cofounded Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in 1962, serving as its chief executive for many years. He cofounded the CSIS Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy in 2002 with Kazuo Inamori. Dr. Abshire was a graduate of West Point, and he received its Distinguished Graduate Award in 1966. He served in the Korean War and was decorated for his service. Dr. Abshire received a Ph.D., with honors, in history from Georgetown University, where he also served as an adjunct professor at its School of Foreign Service. His government service included assistant secretary of state for congressional relations (1970–1973), head of the National Security Group under President Ronald Reagan (1980), U.S. ambassador to NATO (1983–1987), and special counselor to President Reagan (1987). As ambassador to NATO, he was given the highest Defense Department civilian award, the Distinguished Public Service Medal. Dr. Abshire was also awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal and received numerous other awards. He served as the first chairman of the Board for International Broadcasting. Dr. Abshire also served as a member of the Murphy Commission on the Organization of the Government, the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the President’s Task Force on U.S. Governmental International Broadcasting, as one of the coconvenors of the 2006 congressionally mandated Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group, the Advisory Board of the Naval War College, the Executive Panel of the Chief of Naval Operations, the congressionally mandated Advisory Group for Public Diplomacy, and chair of a panel for the Homeland Security Advisory Board. He was author of seven books, a contributing editor and primary author of several other works, and a founding editor of The Washington Quarterly. He was a member of the Council on Competitiveness, Council on Foreign Relations, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (London), The 1958 coup was followed by a succession of governments as one regime was violently replace by another. As one bad government followed another, Iraq grew progressively weaker, and the author allowed himself in 1968 to wonder whether now, after ten years of misrule, someone might strike a blow to restore the pre-1958 regime and get the country bask on track. After 1991, a number of Iraqis opposed to Saddam took advantage of his defeat in Kuwait and the international opposition to his regime by establishing opposition groups. The liberation of Kuwait resulted in two important victories: The first priority for building a new Iraq was to ensure that highly qualified leaders who had the best interests of the country in mind took control once the Saddam regime had ended. Although the military campaign in 2003 was swift and successful, it was clear from the moment US forces entered Baghdad that enormous miscalculations had been made. During the first years of the post-Saddam era, the only thing worse than the occupation's bad policies has been the speed of their execution. Iraq's economy has been ravaged by war, corruption, mismanagement, and the well-documented shortcomings of the US-led occupation. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Iraq, Saddam Hussein, Baath Party, Baghdad, Corruption, Coup d'Etat, Economic Development, Foreign Policy, Persian Gulf War, Hashemite, Investcorp, Nuri al-Said, Operation Iraqi Freedom
ISBN: 9780297858171
[Book #83656]
Price: $275.00