Jay Montgomery Garner(born April 15, 1938) is a retiredUnited States Armylieutenant generalwho in 2003 was appointed as Director of theOffice for Reconstruction and Humanitarian AssistanceforIraqfollowing the2003 invasion of Iraq,making him the immediate replacement ofSaddam Husseinas thede factohead of state of Iraq.[1]Garner was soon replaced by AmbassadorPaul Bremerand the ambassador's successor organization toORHA,theCoalition Provisional Authority(CPA).[2]
Jay Garner | |
|---|---|
 Garner in 1996 | |
| Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance of Iraq | |
| In office April 21, 2003 – May 12, 2003 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Saddam Hussein(asPresident of Iraq) |
| Succeeded by | Paul Bremer(as Administrator of theCoalition Provisional Authority) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 15, 1938 Arcadia, Florida,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Florida State University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1962–1997 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
Early life and education
editBorn inArcadia, Florida,Garner served an enlistment in theUnited States Marine Corpsbefore attending theFlorida State University,where he received aBachelor of Artsdegree inHistoryin 1962. He also holds a master's inpublic administrationfromShippensburg State University.
Military career
edit
Commissioned as an armysecond lieutenantin 1962, Garner served two tours inVietnam,and later led two air defense units inGermany.He also served as deputy commanding general atFort Bliss, Texas.Garner helped to develop thePatriot missile systemand commandedmissile batteriesduring theGulf War.After thewarhe was put in charge of securingKurdishareas inIraq.He was later named commander of the United States Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (working primarily on PresidentReagan'sStrategic Defense Initiativemissile shield program), and concluded his army career as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, retiring in 1997 at the rank oflieutenant general.
After leaving thearmy,Garner became president ofSYColeman,a defense contractor which designs missile communications and targeting systems used in the Patriot andArrow missilesystems. (He has been on unpaid leave from the company since January 2003). Garner served on a presidential panel, chaired byDonald Rumsfeld,which specializes inspaceand missile threats. He has also worked closely with theIsrael Defense Forces.[needs update]
Involvement in the Iraq War
editIn 2003 Garner was selected toleadthepost-war reconstruction efforts in Iraq,along with three deputies, including BritishMajor-GeneralTim Cross.Garner was regarded as a natural choice by theBush administrationgiven his earlier similar role in the north. General Garner was to develop and implement plans to assist the Iraqis in developing governance and reconstructing the country onceSaddam Husseinwas deposed.[3]
Following the defeat of the Saddam Hussein regime inBaghdad,there was widespread looting, rampaging, and general chaos throughoutIraq.Some of the most importantmonuments,such as thenational museum,were under attack.[3]Furthermore, theinfrastructureof the country was in ruins, ministries were broken into, and government records were destroyed. The situation in Iraq became chaotic andanarchic.[4]The only ministry which was protected by the occupying forces was theoil ministry.In addition, many exiled leaders fromIranand some from theWestreturned toIraq.[5]TheBush administrationselectedLieutenant GeneralJay Garner to lead theCoalition Provisional Authority(an intermediary government) in an attempt to ridIraqof the chaos and anarchy that consumed the area. Garner's plan was to choose government officials from the former Iraqi regime to help lead the country.[6]
Garner began reconstruction efforts in March 2003 with plans aiming for Iraqis to holdelectionswithin 90 days and for theU.S.to quickly pull troops out of the cities to a desert base.Jalal Talabani,a member of Jay Garner's staff inKuwaitbefore the war, was consulted on several occasions to help the U.S. select a liberal Iraqi government; this would be the first liberal government to exist inIraq.In an interview withTime magazine,Garner stated that "as in anytotalitarianregime, there were many people who needed to join theBaath Partyin order to get ahead in their careers. We don't have a problem with most of them. But we do have a problem with those who were part of the thug mechanism under Saddam. Once the U.S. identifies those in the second group, we will get rid of them. "[6]On April 15, 2003, General Garner called a conference in the city ofNasiriyah,where Garner, along with 100 Iraqis, discussed the future of Iraq. Garner called a follow-up meeting on April 28, 2003.[3]250 Iraqis attended this meeting, and five of these Iraqis were selected by Garner's administration as the core leaders of the new Iraqi government:Masood Barzaniwas appointed as head of theKurdistan Democratic Party,Talabani as head of the rivalPatriotic Union of Kurdistan,Abdul Aziz Al Hakimwas appointed as the leader of the Supreme Assembly for Islamic Revolution in Iraq,Ahmad Chalabiwas chosen to represent theIraqi National CongressandIyad Allawiwas appointed as the leader of theIraqi National Accord.Garner's selection caused quite a stir amongst many Iraqis. Although many Iraqis were open to the change that Garner and the U.S. were bringing to Iraq, others were resentful. Iraqis with aShi'abackground felt underrepresented in Garner's selection for government.[7]Three of the five officials appointed as key members in Iraq's new government were ofSunnibackground, one official was from a mixed Sunni–Shi'a background, and only one of the officials was of pure Shi'a background. The Shi'a felt left out and underrepresented, considering they comprise over 60% of the Iraqi population.[7]Furthermore, many Iraqis felt this new government was not selected in ademocraticmanner, as theU.S.had promised.
Once the leaders were selected, a plan to hold elections in Iraq, where members would be selected, began on May 6, 2003, and ended on November 14, 2003, when the plan was abandoned.[4]General Garner would be replaced by a newAmerican Ambassadorto Iraq,Paul Bremer,who took his role as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Following Garner's dismissal, it was planned that an Iraq government would take power in June 2004.Iyad Allawiwas designated to lead the Iraqi interim authority. Allawi was a formerBaathistofShi'aorigin. Allawi had many credentials, including previous work experience with theCIA.[3]
When Garner was replaced in his role byPaul Bremeron May 11, 2003, there was quite a bit of speculation as to why he was replaced so abruptly. It has been suggested that Garner was moved aside because he did not agree with theWhite Houseabout who should decide how to reconstruct Iraq. He wanted early elections—90 days after the fall ofBaghdad—and the new government to decide how to run the country and what to do with its assets. Garner said "I don't think [Iraqis] need to go by theU.S.plan, I think that what we need to do is set an Iraqi government that represents the freely elected will of the people. It's their country... their oil. "[8]Some experts faulted Garner for prioritizing elections over improving andprivatizingthe Iraqi economy.[9]
Garner was interviewed inNo End in Sight,a 2007documentary movievery critical of the handling of theIraq occupation.
References
edit- ^"Jay Garner: The US general waiting to replace Saddam".The Independent.April 4, 2003.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
- ^US arms trader to run IraqArchivedJune 1, 2003, at theWayback MachineThe Observer,March 30, 2003.
- ^abcdArthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson,A Concise History of the Middle East(Westview Press, 2006), 432–438
- ^abJillian Schwedler and Deborah Gerner, eds.,Understanding the Contemporary: Middle East(Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2008), 248–251
- ^Jack Covarrubias and Tom Lansford, eds.,Strategic Interests in the Middle East: Opposition or Support for US Foreign Policy(Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007), 74–76
- ^abBrian Bennett, Joshua Kucera, Terry Mccarthy, Michael Weisskopf and Mark Thompson, "Sorting The Bad From The Not So Bad,"Time,May 19, 2003.
- ^ab"Iraq: Entering a new epoch,"Middle East,June 2003.
- ^Greg Palast,"Unreported: The Zarqawi InvitationArchived2006-06-18 at theWayback Machine",ZNet,June 10, 2006
- ^Dilip Hiro, The Nation, September 28, 2007, "How Bush's Iraqi Oil Grab Went Awry"https:// thenation /article/how-bushs-iraqi-oil-grab-went-awry/ArchivedMarch 27, 2019, at theWayback Machine
External links
edit
- General reverses his roleArchivedJune 16, 2012, at theWayback MachineSan Francisco Chronicle,February 26, 2003.
- SYColeman company page
- PBS Frontline
- AppearancesonC-SPAN