[GJM] Outside-the-box thinking on counterinsurgency warfare
Norman Kurland
thirdway at cesj.org
Sun Jul 9 10:32:07 MDT 2006
Mr. Kaplan,
In your article in today's Washington Post
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/07/AR2006070701151.html),
you concluded with the question -- should we give up counterinsurgency
wars "as futile and -- do what instead?"
Before President Bush sent in the troops, I supported toppling the
Saddam Hussein regime from within with minimal US military support, not
just because of the WMD reports but, because Saddam was using oil money
to pay $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers to terrorize Israeli
civilians and to increase his leverage over Middle East oil politics in
general. After 9/11, it didn't take much imagination to see him doing
the same in America and in countries allied with America, if and when it
served his purposes. While I'm happy with the defeat of Saddam, as a
former officer in Strategic Air Command, I am a critic of our overall
strategy in the use of our ground troops and our short-sighted vision
and strategy for building a viable and sustainable democratic nation to
replace his totalitarian and repressive regime.
What seemed to be missing in your description of the new Pentagon field
manual is the critical importance of a vision of an end game that would
demolish the ideology of the insurgents by effectively and dramatically
addressing the warning of the manual's authors, "Lose moral legitimacy,
lose the war." In other words, what America lacked in sending in troops
to Iraq was an ideological and morally compelling "H-bomb" for blowing
the minds of the Iraqi people, a strategy based on universal principles
of justice that is the essence of Islam, Christianity, Judaism and all
the major faith traditions. Such a more principled end game would
neutralize the influence of the ideologues of hate and take away their
breeding grounds for recruiting insurgents. Pushing "Freedom and
Democratic Capitalism" won't do the trick. Having a superior vision of
an economically and socially just economy and a practical plan for
implementing what some of us call a "Just Third Way", would. And while
he seems unaware of such an alternative vision, President Bush could not
oppose it if Iraqi leaders made it their plan, if only because it would
implement a genuine "ownership society" for Iraqis, a goal that he
espoused for Americans.
I sent him the following memo on how to incorporate such a plan in an
effective overall strategy for promoting an integrated economic and
political democracy in a post-Saddam Iraq:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A NEW MODEL OF NATION-BUILDING
FOR CITIZENS OF IRAQ
(Center for Economic and Social Justice, updated July 27, 2005)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
More than two years after the U.S. and coalition forces invaded Iraq and
captured Saddam Hussein, the cost of the war today, in blood and
dollars, continues to mount.
The June 30, 2004 transfer of "sovereignty" to the Iraqi people has not
yet brought about a government that can secure the "life, liberty and
property" of its citizens. There is still no clear exit strategy for
U.S. troops that would avoid leaving Iraq in chaos and civil war. No
official plan for economic reconstruction been offered by the U.S., its
allies, or the U.N. that could unify the various factions in Iraq and
provide for a broad sharing of ownership and economic power among all
Iraqi citizens.
The Bush Administration continues to push for political democracy in
Iraq. There is, however, mounting skepticism among critics that
political democracy can work in the Islamic world. The ongoing war in
Iraq has proven that any plan for political democracy is insufficient
without a viable plan for building economic democracy. Such a plan
requires an Iraqi model of what President Bush called an "ownership
society."
Tailoring it to the specific circumstances of Iraq, the Iraqi political
and religious leadership should unleash a bold "Peace through Justice"
offensive to reinforce the government's counter-terrorism initiatives.
This paper offers a specific "first step" proposal with a powerful
message that, if properly communicated by respected Iraqi leaders,
cannot fail to capture the attention and raise the hopes of every Iraqi.
Centered on who should own and receive profits from the nation's oil
resources, this proposal deserves serious consideration by thoughtful
leaders and citizens ready to explore a truly different paradigm that is
consistent with Islam, one based on ownership and economic justice for
every citizen.
With the vacuum of ideas being filled by growing hatred and bloodshed,
the time has come to consider the concept of the Abraham Federation and
ask, "Why not?"
.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Extending the Abraham Federation Model: A Just Third Way For Bringing
Democracy to the Iraqi People
<http://www.cesj.org/homestead/strategies/regional-global/abrahamfederation-iraq.html#Anchor-Extending-49575>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Quick Comparison of Capitalism, Socialism and the "Just Third Way"
<http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/comparison3rdway.htm>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A New Vision for Providing Hope, Justice and Economic Empowerment
<http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/paradigmpapers/pressclub-nkmgdb-ppr.htm>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capital Homestead Act - Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
<http://www.cesj.org/homestead/summary-cha.htm>Capital Homesteading
<http://www.cesj.org/homestead/capitalhomesteading.pdf> For Every
Citizen <http://www.cesj.org/homestead/capitalhomesteading.pdf>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed United Nations Declaration on Social Development
------------------------------------------------------------------------
<http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/paradigmpapers/socialdevelopment-un-ppr.htm>
.
Strategic Elements of the Model
* People in developing countries are increasingly rejecting
capitalist and socialist models of development as
power-concentrating and exploitative, or outmoded and inefficient.
The Just Third Way, in contrast, is a nation-building model based
on the equal opportunity of every citizen to acquire and possess
productive capital assets within an economy that decentralizes
economic power. The new model provides a stable foundation for an
effective and religiously pluralistic democracy. It offers a
viable and politically unifying framework for all Iraqi citizens
to work and prosper together, regardless of their religious,
ethnic, cultural and other differences.
* The new model addresses a "fatal omission" in conventional
approaches to nation-building whose exclusionary policies engender
a growing gap between the rich and poor, concentration of power
and ownership within a small elite, corruption and abuses of power
at all levels, and instability within society.
* The leading edge of the new strategic framework is economic,
attacking directly the root causes of terrorism and the basis of
its support among the populace. It answers the demands of all
Iraqi citizens for justice and an end to systemic poverty and
oppression. It creates systematically a true nation of owners.
* This strategy promotes the growing economic sovereignty and
empowerment of each citizen -- as a worker, as a consumer and as a
capital owner. Economic governance and accountability are
structurally diffused from the bottom-up by protecting existing
private property rights and by spreading throughout society equal
opportunity to acquire new and transferred productive capital
assets. Universal access to capital ownership would enhance the
economic well-being and self-determination of the people, and
reduce the tendency toward corruption and abuses of power
associated with any form of monopoly power.
* It sets up the legal and constitutional infrastructure for moving
quickly to a high-growth, free market system. It is based on the
four pillars of a just market economy: (1) expanded capital
ownership, (2) limited economic power of the state, (3)
restoration of free trade and open markets for determining just
prices, just wages and just profits, and (4) restoration of
private property in all means of production.
* Because of its emphasis on infrastructural re-engineering
(particularly with respect to central banking, capital credit, and
land and natural resources development), this framework would
radically reduce the cost of reconstruction of Iraq, allowing for
low-cost internal means of financing the reconstruction. This
would reduce the cost to the U.S. taxpayer, the U.N. and those
countries supporting the effort in Iraq.
* It would help Iraq become economically self-sufficient as soon as
possible, providing the basis for a stable, independent, and
democratic government that would serve as a model for other
nations in the Middle East and around the world.
Phases of Implementation
PHASE 1: Transfer Free Oil Shares to Every Citizen of Iraq.
Denationalize the oil fields of Iraq, as a catalyst for building a new
"Just Third Way" economy. Transfer the ownership and control of all oil
reserves and natural resources within the borders of Iraq from the Iraqi
National Oil Company to a newly formed, professionally managed, limited
liability joint stock corporation. All Iraqis would automatically
receive free, as a right of citizenship from birth to death, an equal
number of non-transferable shares in the new corporation. All citizens
would be guaranteed first-class shareholder rights to the profits and
voting control over the board of directors and management of the new
company. All profits except for operating reserves would be paid out
fully and periodically as dividends to each shareholder.
To meet all costs and services of government at the national, provincial
and local levels, taxes on such dividend incomes would be withheld by
the corporation before distributing the balance of dividends to each
citizen. The shares of those who die would be retired to the General
Fund or redistributed to new-borns, returning Iraqi exiles and newly
naturalized citizens, who would receive an equal number of shares as
existing shareholders.
The new corporation would encourage market forces in setting prices
throughout the economy by offering, through a competitive bidding
process, concessions and leases for exploration, drilling,
infrastructural engineering and construction, processing and marketing
oil and other natural resource activities. Preferential treatment would
be given to competitive operating companies that are broadly owned by
Iraqi citizens.
To lay the foundations for Iraq's future economy, new industrial,
agricultural and commercial demonstration projects (for example, using
advanced alternative energy technologies that produce power and water
from sea water and waste), could be launched and financed in ways that
encourage wider share ownership among Iraqi workers and other stakeholders.
Future government revenues would then flow from the bottom-up from
increasing citizen incomes. This would make government more dependent
economically on its citizens, rather than perpetuating the previous
top-down dependency of the people on a political elite. A single rate of
taxation on all incomes above poverty levels would balance government
budgets, achieve greater accountability, transparency and democratic
participation in governance at all levels, and radically reduce future
risks of public sector corruption or future coups.
Personal share accounts (like Individual Retirement Accounts in the
U.S.) would be set up within local banks for each worker and every
citizen of Iraq to accumulate income-producing capital assets, sheltered
from any taxes until assets or income are distributed for personal
consumption. The equity accumulation accounts would also be given the
power to borrow interest-free, non-recourse productive credit on behalf
of the citizen.
This "capital credit" would be used exclusively by citizens to purchase
new shares issued by new or growing Iraqi enterprises to finance the
expansion and modernization needs of a growing Iraqi economy. The debt
for purchasing the newly issued growth shares would be secured and
repaid by the projected dividends on those shares (as with leveraged
employee stock ownership plans in the U.S.).
One cautionary note: Experience with employee stock ownership plans has
shown that it is not sufficient merely to give people ownership and
expect any significant change in their behavior and value systems. It is
essential that, during the planning and implementation phases of a
national ownership strategy, management systems be introduced that
encourage a servant leadership philosophy and structures and processes
for diffusing economic power, ownership and participation. One such
system called "Justice-Based Management" systematically builds internal
ownership cultures necessary to educate all stakeholders and maintain
the continued deconcentration of power and accountability of managers to
the worker- and citizen-shareholders.
PHASE 2: Establish in Iraq's Constitution the Right of Universal Citizen
Access to Property.
The constitution now being drafted by Iraqis should be written to
reflect all the rights contained in the UN Declaration of Human Rights,
particularly Article 17 (acknowledging every person's right to own
property individually or in association with others). The new Iraqi
constitution should include the provision that as a fundamental right of
citizenship every citizen is guaranteed access to the social means
(i.e., money and interest-free productive credit) for acquiring and
possessing income-producing property. All tax, credit, property,
corporation, insurance, inheritance and related laws should, if
necessary, be reconstituted to conform to the constitution and to
establish institutions supporting economic democracy and the universal
right to private property and protection of the rights of property.
PHASE 3: Enact Central Bank Credit Policy for Growing the Economy.
The discount power of the central bank in Iraq should be restructured to
encourage non-inflationary private-sector productive growth through the
creation of interest-free money for local banks for promoting more
universal citizen access to capital credit for financing new investments.
PHASE 4: Gain U.N. Support for Iraq as a Global Free Trade Zone.
U.S. and other countries should introduce a resolution into the U.N.
General Assembly to treat Iraq as a "global free trade zone" whose
imports and exports would be exempt from all trade barriers and tariffs
of other countries. In this way the international community could
provide a major catalyst for "Peace Through Justice" in Iraq and
throughout the Middle East.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information, visit www.cesj.org <http://www.cesj.org> or
www.globaljusticemovement.org <http://www.globaljusticemovement.org>, or
email thirdway at cesj.org <mailto:thirdway at cesj.org>. "Extending the
Abraham Federation Model: A Just Third Way for Bringing Democracy to the
Iraqi People" is available at
http://www.cesj.org/homestead/strategies/regional-global/abrahamfederation-nk.html.
A free download of the book Capital Homesteading for Every Citizen is
available at http://www.cesj.org/homestead/donnersocialsecurity.pdf.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Mr. Kaplan, as a student of counterinsurgency warfare, do these ideas,
which would not cost the taxpayers a cent, make sense to you? If they
do, it's still not too late to promote them with the new Iraqi
government, if writers like you begin to push Just Third Way solutions.
The Iraqi government could start by distributing free lifetime,
non-transferable oil shares to each Iraqi citizen, including those
insurgents who abandon terrorism and violent opposition to the current
government. Iraq could become a beachhead for Peace through Justice in
the Middle East, if not open a sorely needed and bolder goal for
American diplomatic, military and economic policy throughout the world.
In Peace, Only through Justice,
Norm Kurland
Center for Economic and Social Justice
Washington, D.C.
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