Today The Heritage Foundation hosted a presentation by Colonel James D. McGinley, United States Marine Corps, entitled “Iraq and the Advance of Freedom.” Through stories and photographs, Colonel McGinley shared his experiences working on a transition training team in Ramadi, Al-Anbar, Iraq. He worked with Governor al-Awani and his cabinet to create the province’s first Emergency Response Center and Disaster Relief Agency and trained the Iraqis to handle it for themselves.
Among the things he discussed was the friendships that formed between the Americans and the Iraqis, and said that the Iraqis really like Americans. He was proud to say he did not shoot anyone but made a thousand friends. He stresses the importance of building relationships of trust, including taking time for small talk, making PowerPoint presentations in Arabic and keeping eye contact with his Iraqi counter part while using a translator.
He addressed the slow speed of progress in training by pointing out that in rural areas many people are “functionally illiterate,” and mentioned that part of the training they helped coordinate included Arabic literacy programs. When asked about the speed of the training during the Q&A, Colonel McGinley said that progress in projects like the literacy programs was slow and modest. He compared reconstruction in Iraq with Austria, Germany and Japan after WWII, and suggested that real progress will take a long time. He said it would probably take a generation or two for Iraqis to really embrace the ideals of western democracy and adapt them to Arab culture.
