MNF-W (Designate) - Institute for Defense & Business

MNF-W Update Close said that the USMC “gets it” at all
Colonel David Close, G-5
levels. He recounted a recent example of
MNF-W
when BGen Gurganis went on patrol
with a Marine sergeant to get a feel for
Col Close opened by acknowledging that things. The Sergeant discussed the
the recent success achieved in Iraq, and importance of the price of tomatoes
especially in the Anbar Province, was throughout the day. BGen Gurganis
earned by the four years of sacrifice by realized that the sergeant had developed
Coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. He his own indicator of conditions on the
said that we have a responsibility to be ground as reflected by market pricing.
successful. Given that the Coalition Close reminded MNF-W (Designate)
military cannot earn the right to leave that although the Anbar Province is
Iraq on only military terms, he said, we better, there are still many people who
need to assist putting together the needed will be trying to kill Marines and disrupt
economic piece, to allow the military to
draw down to a significantly smaller
their activities.
force. He said that MNF-W’s Col Close then commented on the lens
experience showed that a healthy through which Iraqis in the Anbar
economy creates hope, primarily for Province view the world. He noted that
young people. This is a difficult task, he they are a people who will hold a grudge
said, because even though most Iraqis for many generations, and that tribal
know that they want something different, pride is a remarkably important part of
they do not know how to implement it Iraq’s society. He urged MNF-W
because most Iraqis have never lived in a (Designate) to keep in mind how Iraqis
democracy or free-market economy. view the world. To illustrate this, Close
displayed a diagram titled “Competing
Authorities” that he encouraged
participants to carefully review. The
diagram depicts what he considered to
be the “tectonic plates” of Iraqi society
and how they interact, collide, and affect
each other. He cited a number of
occasions where the diagram had helped
him find answers to problems that he
could not otherwise solve. Col Close
spent the next portion of his remarks
highlighting some of the most important
elements of the diagram.
Col David Close describes the current
situation in Anbar
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