In the News: Coalition Provisional Authority

No matter your qualifications, it's your party loyalty and ideological bend that matters when applying to a job at the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). This article was adapted from "Imperial Life in Emerald City," by Rajv Chandrasekaran. The benefit of reading this article is it provides an explanation as to how this, like much of the rest of the reconstruction effort, has failed to stabilize Iraq. That the CPA has had a terrible track record in Iraq is not a novel story. But that people were asked questions about their views on abortion during the interview process and a 24 year-old with no previous experience in finance was put in charge of reviving the Baghdad stock exchange is. That people hired by the CPA lacked not only expertise but an understanding of the Iraqi culture is also apparent. I don't doubt that many of the people hired by the CPA are bright, hardworking people, with the best intentions to help Iraqis, but a devotion to an ideology, rather than stabilizing the country so Iraqis can take control, perpetuated the frustration among Iraqis willing to work with coalition authorities.