Gen X in Iraq

Football in the IZ

I uploaded a photo of myself and two other officers from Texas Tech. We were watching the Texas Tech - Texas game last week. Watching games live is a real sign of hardcore fans since Saturday evening games are on at 3:00am locally. The DFAC manager allowed us to watch the game on their big screen and out out some near beer and chips. Tech did not win but it was still a good game.

Since football season has kicked off, I have noticed some tired faces in the NEC on Sunday and Monday.

New Boss

It has been really busy for my department over the last couple of weeks. We received a new boss and bid farewell to the old one. This is always a stressful time because and new boss brings new ideas and plans to the Iraq problem. Unfortunately, all of the existing programs and projects do not go away. Instead, new projects are added to the existing workload. The front office also decided to make a few personnel changes during the transition. The end result is that my workload has increased significantly since I am the only experienced member in the department. The good thing is that when I look around, I notice that no one has been here longer than I have. Surely this is one of those signs that I must be getting short!

The end result is that my routine consists of working, working out, making a call home, a little reading and then bedtime. I am hoping it lets up in a couple of weeks as the new arrivals gain experience and we learn to prioritize and balance the new projects and initiatives with the old ones.

Safe and Sound

The VP is in town and the insurgents decided to greet him in their own special way with IDF (indirect Fire). One of the advantages of working late is that I was in a hardened building when the rounds hit somewhere outside.

The Best Time of the Year

 For me, this time of year is sports nirvana. NASCAR is entering the Chase for the Cup, football season starts tonight and the baseball pennant races are running at full speed. Speaking of baseball, my Rangers are in contention for the playoffs....see post concerning the Baseball Gods. I am not the only one who is optimistic about their chances. I received an e-mail offering post-season tickets!!

 

Best of all, if the Rangers make it to the American League Championship Series, I will be home on leave to catch a game!

Football is sport of choice in our office. Since everyone is from all over the US, the office is decorated with team banners, posters, towels, miniature players, etc.I am not sure if it is a working office or a 10 year old's room. Back home in Dallas it is hard to find someone who is not a Cowboy fan. They few Cowboy haters are usually asked to find a new location to set up residence! I feel right at home in Iraq because the Cowboys are the most popular team by a large margin (yes the laws of the universe apply to Iraq as well). I would say the Steelers and Packers have the next largest contingents. Looking around the office I realize just how diverse the work force is; I see the black and gold of the Saints. A Viking helmet hangs on someone's cube next to a terrible towel. It should be a fun football season, and I know that with each passing game I will be one week closer to being home. 

AAA In the IZ

I received a phone call last night that one of our Suburbans had a flat tire. The IZ has the largest speed bumps in the known world. The speed bumps are large, maybe 8"-12", metal constructions designed to stop suicide car bombers. Anything smaller than a Suburban or Land Rover will drag some of its undercarriage unless you hit the bump at an angle. This is an art and is another sign of someone who has been in the IZ for more than 3 months. Apparently, one of our staff hit the side of the speed bump and cut the tire on the metal. They called me because the military is associated with cars (I am not sure how this association came to be). For some reason, all of the tools were removed from the vehicle. I grabbed a buddy and we went to wait for roadside assistance, i.e. KBR. An hour later a truck resembling a Snap On Tool truck came rolling up. Apparently flat tires are not an uncommon occurrence. He had an air compressor and extra tires on board and had us on our way. I am not sure how much it costs the US but I am sure it is not cheap, maybe that was why the tools were removed.  

Ramadan

Ramadan started a couple of days ago. This is the first time I have experienced the Muslim holiday. Ramadan is a month long celebration of the revealing of the Qur'an. The holiday is based on a solar calendar so it advances 10 days every month. This year Ramadan started on August 19 and will run until September 20. Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, including foregoing liquids. People can be excused from fasting for health reasons but they are expected to make a donation to the poor. The amount should be the cost of an average meal. At the end of Ramadan, there is a time for celebration.

How does Ramadan affect the daily life in Iraq? Most business is conducted later in the morning until the mid-afternoon. Offices are closed early so that everyone can make it home in the early evening. We were advised to keep afternoon meetings to a minimum since some people become irritable from fasting. The idea of a business lunch is considered a faux pas. I actually committed this transgression by inviting an Iraqi friend to lunch. Fortunately, he was not fasting due to health concerns.

More on Explosions

We heard the explosions at approximately 11:00am. There were actually two within a few seconds of each other. I was not close but the second one was violent enough to vibrate the building and rattle the windows. By the sound of it, I knew it was going to be bad. Within a few seconds of the sound, all of the birds took flight from across the street. It was an eerie experience, almost surreal. A couple of minutes later, I saw a large plume of smoke similar to the picture from ABCNEWS below:

It is not uncommon to see small plumes of smoke from time to time. Usually the smoke is from the Iraqi's burning trash. This time it was much different. On the way to lunch, I noticed another ominous black plume from the east, much further away.

Large Explosions in the IZ

I wanted to get the word out that I am OK despite the bombings in and around the IZ. I didn't want anyone to wake up to the morning news and start worrying.

Wired Article on Tech Exec's Visit to Iraq

Being an IT guy, Wired is one of my favorite magazines. Luckily the August issue arrived before the mail stoppage (I am not sure what to call it when a country stops inbound mail). I opened the magazine only to discover that there is an article on the tech exec's visit to Iraq. The DoS invited several technology executives (Google, Twitter, Facebook, AT&T, etc) to Iraq a couple of months ago. The article is fantastic and directly addresses the issues we face in re-building the Iraqi economy. I  highly recommend purchasing this month's issue, for my female readers Brad Pitt is on the cover...

We have a saying in Iraq, the Good Idea Fairy is alive and well. One of the things I have discovered is that both the US and Iraqi Governments are top heavy. We have numerous executives, generals and ambassadors making strategic plans and creating directives. However, there is no execution layer. In the US, we have directors, senior managers, analysts and engineers to make ideas reality. In Iraq, that entire layer of professionals is absent. So the country abounds with good ideas such as this visit but with little or no carry through. The article is so insightful that I have decided to comment on some of the article's highlights:

"Can Iraq be saved by meetups, tweets, blogs and YouTube videos?" - No, we are working to establish basic communications. I am typing this blog on a 160K connection (remember dial up?). A major win is getting the banks and government on the same network. Maybe someday applications will help but not for a long time.

"Cohen's fear is that taking a bunch of Web 2.0 suits into a nation shattered by war will be seen as an absurd boondogle" - I would say that is a pretty accurate description to most of us on the ground in Iraq.

"...as new markets go, Iraq falls somewhere between Antarctica and Somalia in desirability" - Iraq NEEDS foreign investment but does not WANT foreign firms. There are many international groups as well as the US, UK, Japan, EU and others that are working hard to encourage investment but it is an extremely difficult job. Iraq is afraid of foreign entities taking over but they desperately need to develop their infrastructure. The ongoing credit crunch does not help either.

"Businesspeople and even embassy staff often list multiple mobile phone numbers on their cards, one for each wireless network." - Imagine if your Sprint phone would not allow you to call anyone with an AT&T phone. The two cell phone providers are so competitive that they intentionally bar calls from their competitor. You think phone customer service is bad in the US, try no customer service. Go to www.asiacell.com and click on a couple of links to get a taste of their customer service. The website is a great example of a "good idea" but with no follow through.

"Most Iraqis use prepaid phones, because with limited banking infrastructure in the country, billing systems don't work. Neither do credit cards." - This is true but this is what my team is working on. We have made enormous strides in this area but this project will take years to complete. It could be done much faster with international investment and a robust private sector, Iraq has neither. Oh, and one more funny story. Last month one of the Iraqi cell phone providers arbitrarily locked out several thousand SIM cards. One day your phone works, the next day is doesn't. They did get it fixed but it took a few days.

"But when Heiferman asks them (Baghdad University students) what they want for their future, no one envisions creating wealth and innovation in the private sector. Instead, they want to work for the government. They want job security and pensions. This makes the Silicon Valley group crazy." - As an third party observer I love watching the interactions between the socialist Iraqis and the free market US representatives. Iraq is the last frontier for many Republicans (very little has changed between the Bush and OBama administrations). I don't think you could find two groups more philosophically opposed to one another. Generally speaking the Iraqi's don't "get" free enterprise and capitalism. The entire country has spent the last 30 years under a command driven economy in relative isolationism, they do not know anything else.

The article concludes with an ending I have seen so often in Iraq, with a compromise. The trip started with the idea of rolling out social networking to Iraq, resulting in a social transformation. Instead, the Museum of Iraq will get a website, some students will get laptops and an Iraqi official has started using Twitter. This is not the desired result dreamt of around a conference table in Washington but it is progress. Progress in Iraq is accomplished through small bumps and nudges applied at the right time. Progress is slow but at least it is progress.

Read the article, it is an accurate picture of the Iraq that I see on a daily basis.   

Business in Iraq

We received word today that the mail is held up due to "licensing issues". Apparently, the Government of Iraq does not feel the existing contract  is sufficient. So, it has stopped the mail. Unfortunately, this type of behavior is not uncommon for the Government of Iraq and is hurting foreign investment. Many analysts believe that Iraq will not receive private investment until they create a friendlier business climate. The laws regarding land ownership and intellectual property are primitive at best. Many international companies are willing to take a chance on Iraq but they expect large profits to cover for the extreme risk. Iraq wants a large piece of the pie and compromises are hard to come by. Security is better but a major shift in attitude has to occur before Iraq is ready to join the international business community.