Between Iraq and a Hard Place-Bremer's Story

Between Iraq and a Hard Place-Bremer's Story My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell. Simon & Schuster. 419 pages; black & white photographs; index; $27.

They had a great term for describing the nature of postconflict operations after World War II. They called it the disease and unrest formula. Basically, the planners believed there were three tasks that had to be accomplished during an occupation. These were essential to avoiding mass death from disease or starvation and preventing the country from devolving into chaos and revolution. The three tasks were: avert a humanitarian crisis; establish a …