Iraq: The Day After : Report of an Independent Task-Force Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations

Winning the peace in Iraq may be a far greater challenge than winning the war. This challenge falls largely on President George W. Bush, who must make clear to the American people that the United States is willing to stay the course with a multibillion-dollar, multiyear commitment of troops, civilian personnel, and other resources. Established by the Council on Foreign Relations, this Task Force explores the options for reconstruction and governance in a post-Saddam transition. Under the leadership of two of America's most outstanding foreign policy and national security figures -- Dr. James R. Schlesinger, former secretary of defense and energy, and Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and undersecretary of state -- the Task Force offers specific recommendations relating to humanitarian assistance, public security, transitional administration, the rule of law and accountability, oil, reconstruction, and regional security. The Task Force, directed by Council Senior Fellow Eric P. Schwartz, also makes the case for the active involvement of other states and international organizations in the post-war rebuilding effort. And it emphasizes that the United States must promote the active participation of the Iraqi people in a political transition process that validates their expectations about political reconciliation, a democratic transformation, and a more hopeful future. Book jacket.