The Reintegration of Former Soldiers in Iraq

The U.S. Administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, ordered the Iraqi Army and the intelligence services to be disbanded in 2003.It was widely acknowledged that some sort of security sector reform of the Iraqi army was needed in order to prevent a replica of its predecessor.It however soon became all too clear that the decision to disband 400,000 Iraqi soldiers without any adequate reintegration process would result in violent conflict. Eventhough the resistance was minimal during the...
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The U.S. Administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, ordered the Iraqi Army and the intelligence services to be disbanded in 2003.It was widely acknowledged that some sort of security sector reform of the Iraqi army was needed in order to prevent a replica of its predecessor.It however soon became all too clear that the decision to disband 400,000 Iraqi soldiers without any adequate reintegration process would result in violent conflict. Eventhough the resistance was minimal during the invation, today elements continue to wage a campaign of sabotage and ongoing violence. Hence, the question arises whether adequate efforts to facilitate reintegration of the former Iraqi soldiers could have resulted in a more stable security situation in Iraq today?Published by Human Rights are Your Rights Press