Waging Peace

I am currently finishing the book Waging Peace by Rob Schultheis, about a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq in 2004. There is so much to learn just from this book on how to address many of the “rebuilding” projects in Iraq. One of the most dramatic truths is that in order to have a real impact, the forces in Iraq must interact with the local population on a personal level far grater then just driving around in HMMWVs waiting to get blown up. In reality of the situation, the Solders in Iraq are neighbors to the Iraqis in who’s’ neighborhoods they live. In the US, is it uncommon for a family to not know their next-door neighbor? In some cases it may be the case, but as a rule neighbors know their neighbors. The CA Team in the book dives into their AO and spends most of their waking moments talking, eating, and living with the population of their neighborhood in Baghdad.

The book is a quick read and very well written. The picture painted by the author is authentic and true to many experiences that I had while being in Iraq. Anyone going to be deploying to Iraq soon should read this book. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what it is actually like trying to rebuild a country devastated by their own regime and then crushed under the weight of war.