Event Report: US Role in the Future of Iraq
Retired colonel Joseph R. Núñez is a decorated soldier, an adjunct professor at the U. S. Army War College, and a big Def Leppard fan.
“I recently brought my son, Thomas, to see a Def Leppard concert in Pennsylvania. He told me he loved it. You know, I felt the same way about Def Leppard when I first saw them in 1980,” Núñez said. “Now he’s stealing all my albums because he realizes geezer rock is pretty good.”
This anecdote, characteristically charming, says a lot about Núñez’s views on the cyclical nature of history. A great band stays great, no matter when you encounter them. And a flawed strategic policy with regard to a weak state? That will pay dividends over and over.
Such, in his contention, is the case in Iraq. In a frank discussion at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, Núñez said that the actions of the U. S., particularly during and after the surge in 2011, have contributed to the destabilization of the Iraqi army and the rise of ISIS. The event was cosponsored by the Pardee School for Global Studies, the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations, and the Institute for Iraqi Studies.
“While Saddam Hussein was no Boy Scout, attacking him in 2003 was a huge strategic blunder,” Núñez said. “We were bogged down in Afghanistan; the timing was extremely bad. This created problems we are still suffering from.”
However, the initial difficulties occasioned by the invasion of Iraq were compounded by the rapid drawdown of troops during the Obama administration.
“I agree with the assessment that (Vice President Joseph) Biden had the uncanny ability to be on the wrong side of decisions,” Núñez said. “When playing the game of poker in national security, continually decreasing the chips on the table doesn’t encourage the head of state to go to battle with a difficult parliament.”
Núñez served for 30 years in the US Army. Upon military retirement, Núñez was recruited to lead a team of experts/advisors in Iraq for the Department of Defense in Baghdad. He then transitioned to the Department of State, where he served as a senior provincial action officer on a Provincial Reconstruction Team and later as a senior advisor in our consulates in Kirkuk and Basrah.
“I have personally interacted with many former army officers. I drink a lot of sweet tea, and I’ve gotten to know them. The notion that all former army officers were diehard Baathists who pledged themselves heart and soul to Saddam is ridiculous,” Núñez said. “They are nationalists and professionals, and turning them out of the army turned them into insurgents. It’s created a mess for the Iraqi people, who have suffered immeasurably.”
To solve the challenges of Iraq, Núñez advocated pledging support and arms to the Kurds in northern Iraq and the al-Sahwa militia, also called the Sons of Iraq.
“If you want to make things better in Iraq, you need to reinforce the Kurds,” Núñez said. “The Kurds and the Shi’a majority will support each other. And regarding al-Sahwa, I had leaders who would tell me that the actions taken by president Maliki to persecute them were what created an opportunity for ISIS to make hay.”
Núñez said that he thought a counterinsurgency effort could make a difference, but would result in a vastly changed Iraq.
“The Iraqis need our help, and deserve our help,” Núñez said. “If they can’t step up and defend their homeland, they will never be free.”