L. Paul Bremer 226163 225343329 2008-07-13T05:05:55Z 200.165.234.94 {{Infobox Ambassador | name=Lewis Paul Bremer III | image=Paul bremer.jpg | image_size=150px | caption=Ambassador Paul Bremer responding to a reporter's question during a Pentagon news briefing on 26 September 2003. | order=52<sup>nd</sup> | ambassador_from=United States | country=the Netherlands | term_start=[[31 August]] [[1983]] | term_end=[[25 August]][[1986]] | predecessor=[[William J. Dyess]] | successor=[[John Shad]] | president=[[Ronald Reagan]] | order2 = [[Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance|Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance]] | term_start2 = [[May 11]], [[2003]] | term_end2 = [[June 28]], [[2004]] | president2 = [[George W. Bush]] | predecessor2 =[[Jay Garner]] | successor2 =[[Iyad Allawi]] (as Interim [[Prime Minister of Iraq]]) <br> [[John Negroponte]] (as Ambassador to Iraq) | birth_date={{birth date and age|1941|9|30}} | birth_place=[[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Connecticut]] | death_date= | death_place= | spouse=[[Frances Winfield]] | children= Two adult children and five grandchildren | party= | profession=Former [[Diplomat]] | religion= [[Roman Catholic]] | alma_mater= [[Yale University]], [[Harvard University]], [[Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris]] }}{{wikisource|Letter to L. Paul Bremer}} '''Lewis Paul Bremer III''' (born [[September 30]] [[1941]]), known as '''Paul Bremer''' and also nicknamed '''Jerry Bremer''', was named [[Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance|Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance]] for post-war [[Iraq]] following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, replacing [[Jay Garner]] on [[May 6]] [[2003]]. More famously known for his stint in post-invasion Iraq, Paul Bremer was appointed by President [[George W. Bush]] to oversee as administrator, the reconstruction of Iraq. In his role as head of the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]], he reported primarily to the U.S. [[Secretary of Defense]] and exercised authority over Iraq's civil administration. He served in this capacity from [[May 11]] [[2003]] until limited Iraqi sovereignty was restored on [[June 28]] [[2004]]. Bremer was assigned much of the blame for the insurgency in Iraq that resulted from his reportedly unilateral decision to formally dissolve the Iraqi Army in May of 2003.<ref> <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/world/middleeast/17bremer.html></ref> ==Biography== Born in [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Connecticut]], Bremer was educated at [[New Canaan Country School]] and [[Phillips Academy]]. Bremer's father was president of the [[Christian Dior]] Perfumes Corporation in New York. His mother was a lecturer in art history at the [[University of Bridgeport]]. Bremer graduated from [[Yale University]] in 1963 and went on to earn an [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] from [[Harvard University]] in 1966. He later continued his education at the [[Paris Institute of Political Studies|Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris]], where he earned a Certificate of Political Studies (CEP). That same year he joined the [[United States Foreign Service|Foreign Service]], which sent him first to [[Kabul]], [[Afghanistan]], as a general officer. He was assigned to [[Blantyre, Malawi|Blantyre]], [[Malawi]], as economic and commercial officer from 1968 to 1971. During the 1970s, Bremer held various domestic posts with the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], including posts as an assistant to [[Henry Kissinger]] from 1972–76.<ref>Bremer memos from his service as deputy executive secretary for Kissinger are available at http://www.thememoryhole.org/espionage_den/</ref> He was Deputy Chief of Mission in [[Oslo]] from 1976–79, returning to the US to take a post of Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State, where he remained from 1979–81. In 1981, he was promoted to [[Executive Secretariat|Executive Secretary]] and Special Assistant to [[Alexander Haig]]. [[Ronald Reagan]] appointed Bremer as [[United States Ambassador to the Netherlands|Ambassador to the Netherlands]] in 1983 and Ambassador-at-Large for Counterterrorism in 1986.<ref>[http://www.freeman.org/m_online/sep96/bremer.htm Terrorists' Friends Must Pay a Price (L. Paul Bremer III) - September 1996<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Bremer retired from the Foreign Service in 1989 and became managing director at [[Kissinger and Associates]], a worldwide consulting firm founded by [[Henry Kissinger]]. A Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, Bremer received the State Department Superior Honor Award, two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, and the Distinguished Honor Award from the Secretary of State. Before rejoining government in 2003, he was Chairman and CEO of Marsh Crisis Consulting, a risk and insurance services firm which is a subsidiary of [[Marsh & McLennan Companies|Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.]], a trustee on the Economic Club of New York,<ref>[http://www.econclubny.com/ Economic Club of New York - Public Policy - Economics - Social Issues<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and a board member of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., [[Akzo Nobel]] NV, the Harvard Business School Club of New York<ref>[http://www.hcny.com/ The Harvard Club of New York City<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and The Netherlands-America Foundation. He served on the International Advisory Boards of Komatsu Corporation and Chugai Pharmaceuticals. Bremer was appointed Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism by [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[Dennis Hastert]] in 1999. He also served on the National Academy of Science Commission examining the role of Science and Technology in countering terrorism. Bremer and his wife were the founders of the Lincoln/Douglass Scholarship Foundation, a [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]-based not-for-profit organization that provides high school scholarships to inner city youths. On the day [[Al-Qaeda]] terrorists crashed two [[September 11, 2001 attacks|hijacked American commercial jetliners]] into the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]], Bremer and 1,700 of his employees at Marsh & McLennan had offices in both towers. Bremer's office was in the South Tower. He and his people occupied floors at and "above where the second aircraft hit."<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/14/cf.00.html CNN.com - Transcripts<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> At the time of his television interview with CNN on [[September 14]], [[2001]], 450 of his colleagues were unaccounted for; 295 were eventually counted as dead.<ref>[http://www.mmc.com/about/history.php Milestones of Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Three hours after a commercial airliner crashed into the South Tower, Bremer appeared for a televised interview. As a leading counter-terrorist expert, Bremer offered his opinion on what will likely happen and pinpointed [[Osama bin Laden]] as the terrorist leader responsible for the attack on U.S. soil <ref>[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1952734561498548380&q=paul+bremer&total=126&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0 Lewis Paul Bremer III on Washington DC NBC4 TV 09/11/01<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. In late 2001, along with former [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Edwin Meese]], Bremer co-chaired the [[Heritage Foundation]]'s Homeland Security Task Force, which created a blueprint for the White House's [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]]. For two decades Bremer has been a regular at Congressional hearings and is recognized as an expert on terrorism and internal security. Some of Bremer's published work includes "Warfare & Defence Military Science Alliance Response to Nuclear Weapons Proliferation", "The Alliance Response to Nuclear Weapons Proliferation: Deterrence, Defense, and Cooperative Options", and "Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism: Report from the National Commission on Terrorism", a ''[[New York Times]]'' article "What I Really Said About Iraq", and his first book, "My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope". [[Image:GeorgeWBush LPaulBremer Dec 14 2004.jpg|thumb|Bremer is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, [[December 14]] [[2004]]]] Bremer was awarded on [[December 14]] [[2004]] the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]],<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041214-3.html President Presents Medal of Freedom<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> America's highest civil award for "especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." "He was also presented with the Department of Defense award for Distinguished Public Service and the Nixon Library<ref>[http://www.nixonlibrary.org/index.php?src=events&srctype=profile&id=12&category=Upcoming%20Events Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> honored him with the "Victory of Freedom Award" for "demonstrating leadership and working towards peace and freedom."<ref>http://www.nixonlibrary.org/index.php?src=directory&view=products&srctype=display&back=products&id=634&category=Autographed+Books&pos=10,10,34][http://www.harrywalker.com/speakers_template.cfm?Spea_ID=750</ref> Bremer is married to the former [[Frances Winfield]]. They have two adult children and four grandchildren. He received an honorary doctor of law from [[Ave Maria University]], [[June 19]] [[2005]]. He has competed in [[triathlon]]s and in [[Marathon (sport)|marathon]]s. Other sports activities including [[hiking]], [[cycling]] and snow [[skiing]]. Bremer is trained in the art of culinary cooking and taught cooking classes in Vermont before being called to duty in Iraq<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/13/AR2005091300404.html?sub=AR From Diplomacy to Demi-Glace<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. From his extensive travels throughout the world, Bremer has mentioned that his favorite cuisines include [[French cuisine|French]], [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle Eastern]], and [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese]] cuisines. He is also interested in [[gardening]], and he owns a vegetable garden. ==Governor of Iraq== Bremer arrived in [[Iraq]] as the U.S. Presidential Envoy in May 2003. In June, President [[George W. Bush|Bush]] appointed Bremer the chief executive authority in the country as U.S. Administrator of Iraq, a position that has been compared to that of a [[proconsul]].<ref>[http://www.nationalreview.com/kudlow/kudlow081103.asp Larry Kudlow on Colin Powell and Paul Bremer on NRO Financial<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1106282,00.html A Year of Crucial Missteps - TIME<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Though Garner's leadership was largely praised, Bremer's appointment was criticized by [[human rights]] groups, who noted that while chairing the National Commission on Terrorism, Bremer advocated relaxation of [[CIA]] guidelines which since 1995 restricted working with "terrorist spies" or individuals and groups who have a record of human rights abuses.<ref>[http://www.nixoncenter.org/publications/Program%20Briefs/vol6no19Bremer.htm Countering the Threat of International Terrorism<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Others suggested that he replaced Jay Garner as Bremer’s vision of the reconstruction (selling off [[oil]] and other assets to foreign companies [no such "selling off" happened], holding elections later) lined up better with the Washington [[neoconservatism|neoconservative]] vision than Garner’s plan of holding early elections (90 days after the fall of Baghdad) and allowing the new elected government to decide what to do with the nation's assets.<ref>[http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=10399 ZNet |Iraq | Unreported: The Zarqawi Invitation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> As the top civil administrator of the former Coalition Provisional Authority, Bremer was tasked with the challenging job of overseeing the [[U.S.-led occupation of Iraq]] until the country was deemed to be in a state in which it could be self-governed. He was empowered to issue [[decree]]s to modify Iraq's infrastructure, including such notable decrees as removing all restrictions on [[freedom of assembly]], suspending the use of the [[death penalty]], upholding Saddam Hussein's union laws, and establishing a [[Central Criminal Court of Iraq]].<ref>[http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/index.html CPA Iraq<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Pre-war and post-war contingencies were different from what actually took place.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Bremer was credited and later heavily criticized<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/11/AR2007051102054.html What We Got Right in Iraq - washingtonpost.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> for officially disbanding the former Iraqi Army. Bremer, however, contends that there were no armies to disband. He says that the brutality of Saddam's rule over his people and his own Iraqi soldiers led to many just leaving after the fall of Baghdad to go home; some to protect their own families from the criminal activities such as rampant looting. Critics claimed his extreme measures, including the firing of thousands of school teachers and removing [[Ba'ath party]] members from top government positions, helped create and worsen an atmosphere of discontent among those who did not "fit in" with the socioeconomic profile the Americans were working with. As the insurgency grew stronger, so did the criticisms. Bremer was also in personal danger because of Iraqi perceptions of him and was henceforth heavily guarded. Attempts to assassinate the administrator took place a few times, although none of them succeeded. One of the more publicized attempts occurred on [[December 6]], [[2003]] when his convoy was driving on the dangerous Baghdad airport road. While returning to the fortified [[Green Zone]], the convoy was attacked by rebels, hit by a bomb and gunfire, with the rear window of his [[Chevrolet Suburban|Suburban]] blown away. As bullets flew, Bremer and his deputies ducked below their seats. No injuries or casualties were reported, and news of the assassination attempt on Bremer was not even released to the rest of the world until [[December 19]], [[2003]] during his visit to [[Basra]]. During Bremer's stay in Iraq, the [[Al-Qaida]] leader [[Osama bin Laden]] allegedly placed a bounty of 10,000 grams of [[gold]] on Bremer, the equivalent of $125,000 US at the time.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/06/terror/main616030.shtml Osama Tape Offers Bremer Bounty, Promises $125K In Gold For Killing Top U.S. Administrator In Iraq - CBS News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Bremer, a [[Roman Catholic]], was given the nickname "Jerry" after a renowned [[Bible]] translator and religious historian known today as [[Jerome|St. Jerome]], whom Bremer pointed out during a guest appearance on Comedy Central, is his patron saint.<s>{{Fact|date=July 2007}}</s> He and his wife, Francie, converted to Catholicism in 1994. "He is a man of great personal faith", quoted Francie Bremer. "There is no doubt in my mind that I cannot succeed in this mission without the help of God", said Bremer. "The job is simply too big and complex for any one person, or any group of people to carry out successfully."..."We need God's help and seek it constantly." [[Image:Bremer signing.jpg|thumb|Bremer signs over limited sovereignty to Iraq's interim government, [[June 28]] [[2004]] ]] On [[July 13]], [[2003]], Bremer approved the creation of an [[Iraqi Interim Governing Council]] as a way of "ensuring that the Iraqi people's interests are represented." The council members were chosen from prominent political, ethnic, and religious leaders who had opposed Saddam Hussein. Bremer retained [[veto]] power over the council's proposals. The council was authorized to select a limited number of delegates to key Coalition Provisional Authority committees, like the [[Coalition Provisional Authority Program Review Board|Program Review Board]]. The other major milestone was the development and approval of an interim constitution. On [[March 1]], [[2004]] after several hours of negotiations, with Bremer acting as mediator, the [[Iraqi Interim Governing Council]] resolved the disagreements the council members had with clauses written in the interim constitution. A formal signing ceremony was scheduled for that Friday, [[March 5]] [[2004]]. The stage was set and over 200 guests were present to witness the accomplishment of a major milestone. As the guests waited and the orchestra played, the signing was canceled due to objections by certain Shia members in the council, most notably by Grand Ayatollah [[Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani|Ali al-Sistani]], a prominent religious leader in Iraq. The official signing finally took place the following Monday, [[March 8]], [[2004]]. On [[June 28]], [[2004]] at 10:26 AM local time, the US-led [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] formally transferred limited sovereignty of Iraqi territory to the [[Iraq interim government|Iraqi Interim Government]], two days ahead of schedule. Bremer departed from the country on the same day. In his farewell speech broadcast on Iraqi television, he said, "I leave Iraq gladdened by what has been accomplished and confident that your future is full of hope. A piece of my heart will always remain here in the beautiful land between the two rivers with its fertile valleys, its majestic mountains and its wonderful people..." Bremer's office was a division of the [[United States Department of Defense]], and as Administrator he reported directly to the [[United States Secretary of Defense]] and the [[President of the United States]]. His senior adviser [[Dan Senor]] served as coalition spokesman, working with military spokesman [[Mark Kimmitt]]. [[John Negroponte]] replaced Bremer as the highest ranking American civilian in Iraq. ==Criticism and controversies == ===Poorly qualified=== There were [[No End In Sight|critics]] who opposed Bush's appointment of Bremer as the special presidential envoy to Iraq. One unnamed former U.S. State Department official suggested that Bremer was the wrong man for the job. In a Newsday article, "Diplomatic About-Face/Sources: Garner out in Iraq shuffle" by Knut Royce, May 2, 2003, an unnamed former senior State Department official who worked with Bremer is quoted as saying, Bremer is a "voracious opportunist with voracious ambitions. What he knows about Iraq could not quite fill a thimble. What he knows about any part of the world would not fill a thimble. But what he knows about Washington infighting could fill three or four bushel baskets." This retired official added that the selection of Bremer is "not all that bad of an appointment" and that "he's not going to be a rubber stamp." ===Disbanding of the Iraqi Army=== {{main|Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2}} On [[May 23]] [[2003]] Bremer issued ''Order Number 2'',<ref>http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20030823_CPAORD_2_Dissolution_of_Entities_with_Annex_A.pdf</ref> in effect dissolving the entire former Iraqi army and putting 400,000 former Iraqi soldiers out of work.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/05/23/sprj.nitop.army.dissolve/ CNN.com - U.S. dissolves Iraqi army, Defense and Information ministries - May. 23, 2003<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The move was widely criticized for creating a large pool of armed & disgruntled youths for the insurgency to draw recruits from. Former soldiers took to the streets in mass protests to demand back pay. Many of them threatened violence if their demands were not met.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/12/1052591733712.html Iraqi soldiers march on US base to demand back pay - War on Iraq - smh.com.au<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/16/MN205161.DTL Iraqi troops say U.S. owes them back pay / Bitter soldiers threaten attacks on American forces, sabotage<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was widely asserted within the White House and the CPA that the order to disband the Iraqi Army had little to no practical effect since it had "self-demobilized" in the face of the oncoming invasion force. This however was revealed to be false insofar as the [[CIA]] had conducted psychological operations against the Iraqis which included dropping leaflets over the Army's positions prior to the invasion. The leaflets ordered the Iraqi Army to abandon their positions, return to their homes, and await further instructions. In the defense of those involved in the decision making process, it was apparently unknown to them at the time that the CIA had done this.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} Regardless of what messages the CIA may or may not have tried on the old Iraqi army, the argument was still ventured that by the time "Baghdad fell on April 9, 2003" the previous Army had demobilized, or as Bremer puts it "had simply dissolved...." However, as [[Mark Danner]] reports in an essay in <i>The New York Review of Books</i> - 'Iraq: The War of Imagination' - dated September 21, 2006, American agents - including one colonel and a number of CIA operatives - had already began meeting regularly with Iraqi officers in order to reconstitute the army. Implied in this is the notion that the army - temporarily 'demobilized' or not - continued to exist as a coherent entity, indeed coherent enough that it could be consulted and negotiated with. This seems to concur with the position of the first Director of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, ex-General [[Jay Garner]], who Bremer had replaced. As [[Bob Woodward]] reports in his <i>State of Denial</i>, Garner, upon hearing of the order to disband the army, attempted to convince Bremer to rethink the dissolution. Bremer was reported as saying: "The plans have changed. The thought is we don't want the residuals of the old army. We want a new and fresh army." To this, Garner replied: "Jerry, you can get rid of an army in a day, but it takes years to build one." The issue of disbanding the old Iraqi Army found itself, once again, the center of media attention with two articles explaining why Bremer ostensibly did not make the decision on his own. The first press release by the ''New York Times'' included a letter written by Bremer to President [[George W. Bush]] dated [[May 20]], [[2003]] describing to the President the progress made so far since Bremer's arrival in Baghdad, including one sentence that reads "''I will parallel this step with an even more robust measure dissolving Saddam's military and intelligence structures to emphasize that we mean business''." It is reasonable to assume that Bremer interpreted the President's response - or lack of response - to the progress report as a "go". The second press release dated [[September 6]], [[2007]] was submitted by Bremer as an Op Ed piece for the ''New York Times''. Titled "How I Didn't Dismantle Iraq's Army", Bremer discusses why the decision was not made on his own, and how the decision was reviewed by "top civilian and military members of the American government"; which included General [[John Abizaid]] who briefed officials in Washington "'there are no organized Iraqi military units left'". Bremer’s article goes into further about how the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] did consider two alternatives - to recall the old army or to rebuild a new army with "both vetted members of the old army and new recruits." According to Bremer, General Abizaid liked the second alternative. Bremer also details the situation he and the major decision makers faced; especially when the large Shiite majority in the new Army could have had problems with the thought of having a former Sunni officer issuing orders. Furthermore, Bremer reveals again how he received a memo from [[Donald Rumsfeld]] on [[May 8]], [[2003]] that said "the coaltion 'will actively oppose Saddam Hussein's old enforcers - the Baath Party, Fedayeen Saddam, etc...'we will make clear that the coalition will eliminate the remnants of Saddam's regime'". According to Bremer, the memo was also sent to both the [[Condi Rice|national security adviser]] and the [[Colin Powell|secretary of state]] at the time.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/opinion/06bremer.html?_r=1&bl&ex=1189310400&en=38ac6fe117cc4348&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin How I Didn’t Dismantle Iraq’s Army - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> After two protesters were killed by U.S. troops, the CPA agreed to pay up to 250,000 former soldiers a stipend of $50 to $150 a month. Conscripts were given a single severance payment.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0624/p01s04-woiq.html US decides to pay Iraqi soldiers and form new Army | csmonitor.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Many of the former soldiers found this to be grossly inadequate.<ref>[http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0717-03.htm US Stipend Seen as Paying Little Respect to Former Iraqi Soldiers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Charles H. Ferguson]], director of critically acclaimed ''[[No End in Sight]]'', created a [http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=54a96b0d367da6ce96eb1401f0e127f76688ddd6 video response] to Bremer's Op Ed piece on [[September 14]], [[2007]]. (This was the very first ''New York Times'' video Op Ed letter in history.) ==="De-Ba'thification" of the Iraqi civil service=== Saddam Hussein's ruling [[Baath Party|Ba'th Party]] counted among its members a huge majority of Iraq's governmental employees, including educational officials and some teachers. By order of the CPA, these skilled and mostly apolitical people were banned from holding any positions in Iraq's new government and public service. Critics claim these extreme measures, resulting in the firing of thousands of school teachers and removing Ba'ath party members from top government positions, helped create and worsen an atmosphere of discontent among those who did not "fit in" with the socioeconomic profile the Americans wanted to impose. This policy of "de-Ba'thification", now widely seen as having made bitter, new divisions in the country, and fuelling the violence that has torn Iraq apart, was reversed in January, 2008.<ref name='BBCNews 2008-01-12'>{{cite news | first=Sebastian | last=Usher | coauthors= | title=Baathist mistake corrected amid concern | date=[[2008-01-12]] | publisher= | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7185276.stm | work =BBC News | pages = | accessdate = 2008-01-12 | language = }}</ref><ref name='CNN 2008-01-12'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Iraq bill allows some Baathists back into government | date=[[2008-01-12]] | publisher= | url =http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/12/iraq.baathists/index.html | work =CNN.com | pages = | accessdate = 2008-01-13 | language = }}</ref> ===Management of Iraq's oil revenue=== Bremer was accountable to the Secretary of Defense for the actions he took. But, since his authority to spend Iraq's oil revenue derived from [[UN Security Council Resolution 1483|United Nations Resolution 1483]], he was also accountable to the UN. The authority he derived from the UN to spend Iraq's oil revenue bound him to show that: * Expenditures were intended to benefit the Iraqi people. * The programs that were funded were decided upon, and supervised in an open, transparent manner. * Iraqis were invited to give meaningful input into how funds were spent. * The administrator of Iraq was co-operating with the [[International Advisory and Monitoring Board]]. * That proper fiscal controls were in place, so that it could be demonstrated that none of the funds were diverted, or mis-spent. One of the concerns the IAMB raised repeatedly was that the CPA had repaired the well-heads and pipelines for transporting Iraq’s oil, but they had stalled on repairing the meters that were necessary to document the shipment of Iraqi oil, so it could be demonstrated that none of it was being smuggled. In their final press release<ref>[http://www.iamb.info/pr/pr062204.htm International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq (IAMB) - An audit oversight body for the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) - Press Release, June 22, 2004<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> before the CPA’s authority expired, on [[June 22]] [[2004]], the IAMB stated: :The IAMB was also informed by the CPA that '''contrary to earlier representations''' the award of metering contracts have been delayed and continues to urge the expeditious resolution of this critical issue. The CPA has acknowledged that the failure to meter the oil shipments did result in some quantity of oil being smuggled—an avoidable loss of Iraq's oil that was Bremer's responsibility. Neither Bremer nor any of his staff has offered an explanation for their failure to repair the meters. Neither Bremer nor any of his staff has offered an explanation for why they misrepresented their progress in repairing the meters. By failing to repair the meters, and failing to honestly report the lack of progress, Bremer violated UN Security Council resolution 1483, under which he was accountable to the International Advisory and Monitoring Board for his expenditures of Iraqi resources.{{Syn|date=October 2007}} ===Inadequate financial controls=== ====Failure to perform month-end cash reconciliations==== Under Bremer’s stewardship the CPA requested $12 billion in cash from the US treasury. Under Bremer’s stewardship the CPA paid out $12 billion in cash. The external auditors management notes<ref>[http://www.iamb.info/auditrep/r123103.pdf Report IHQ v2.3<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> point out that the CPA didn’t perform a cash reconciliation until April 2004, eleven months into Bremer's mandate, when they started their work. See Congressional hearing when Ambassador L. Paul Bremer and Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, testified on management of U.S. funds in Iraq. http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1164. ====Failure to employ qualified internal auditors==== In his second regulation,<ref>http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20030615_CPAREG_2_Development_Fund_for_Iraq.pdf</ref> [[Paul Bremer]] committed the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] to hire a reputable firm of certified chartered accountants, to serve as internal auditors, to help make sure the Coalition's finances were administered according to modern accounting principles. These internal auditors would be separate and distinct from the external auditors who would report to the International Advisory and Monitoring Board. Paul Bremer did not honour this essential commitment. He did not make sure the CPA hired internal auditors. When the [[KPMG audit of the Development Fund for Iraq|external auditors]] arrived they learned that [[Paul Bremer|Bremer]] had not made sure the [[Coalition Provisional Authority|CPA]] lived up to the commitment to hire internal auditors to help set up a reliable accounting system. On the contrary they learned that a single contracted consultant kept track of the CPA’s expenditures in a series of spreadsheets. The external auditors reported that rather than use a modern [[Double-entry book-keeping|double-entry]] accounting system the CPA used what they described as “a single-entry, cash based, transaction list”. ====Unaccounted-for funds==== On [[January 30]] [[2005]], an official report<ref>[http://www.sigir.mil/pdf/dfi_ministry_report.pdf]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}</ref> by the [[Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction]], [[Stuart Bowen]], cited by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', stated that $9 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq might have disappeared in frauds, corruption and other misbehavior. On one particular salary register, only 602 names among 8206 could be verified. As another cited example, the Coalition Authority authorized Iraqi officials to postpone declaring the reception of $2.5 billion, which the provisional government had received in spring through the Oil for Food program.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.audit/ CNN.com - Audit: U.S. lost track of $9 billion in Iraq funds - Jan 30, 2005<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Bremer wrote an eight-page reply to deny the accusations and stated that, during the IG's inquiry, Bowen's people refused to interview Bremer's deputies, and the IG's report failed to mention that Bremer and his people worked under extraordinary conditions, faced a high turnover rate, and had insufficient number of personnel to carry out their rebuilding and humanitarian relief efforts. Bremer's claim that Bowen's staff made no attempt to interview his staff is at odds with the detailed account of the external auditors, of their attempts to meet with Bremer and his staff. In their management notes they describe how some of the [[Coalition Provisional Authority|CPA]]'s senior staff, including Bremer himself, just would not make themselves available to meet with the auditors. Others, like [[George Wolfe (CPA)|George Wolfe]], the CPA's de facto [[treasurer]], showed a total lack of cooperation. As head of the CPA, Bremer bears the overall responsibility for the CPA's [[Coalition Provisional Authority#Staffing policies|hiring policies]] that led to his staff being dangerously inexperienced and unable to provide the oversight necessary to protect the funds they were administering.{{Syn|date=October 2007}} This issue also became a topic of discussion during some of Bremer's Q&A sessions with students who attended Bremer's presentations during Bremer's campus speaking tours. Some questioned Bremer if he could have done things differently in Iraq, but were notably disappointed when Paul Bremer avoided answering the question. Bremer allegedly responded to one such question with “ I will tell you what I told them, I'm saving that for my book... I need more time to reflect.” In February 2007, Bremer defended the way he spent billions of dollars in Iraqi funds after the U.S. invasion. In a prepared testimony he said that he did the best he could to kickstart the Iraqi economy, "which was flat on its back."<ref name"NewsMax">"[http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/2/6/120750.shtml Paul Bremer Grilled on Iraqi Aid Fund Management]". [[Associated Press]], [[February 6]], [[2007]].</ref> ===Economic policies=== The Coalition Provisional Authority under Bremer issued 100 Orders, which they define as "binding instructions or directives to the Iraqi people that create penal consequences or have a direct bearing on the way Iraqis are regulated, including changes to Iraqi law".<ref>The full text of each of Bremers 100 Orders is available at http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/ </ref> The economic policies are largely based on free market ideas, emphasizing protection for foreign investors and contractors, while replacing the tax system with a flat tax.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} *Order #39 allows for the following: :# privatization of Iraq's 200 state-owned enterprises; :# allow up to 100% foreign ownership of Iraqi businesses; :# national treatment of foreign firms; :# unrestricted, tax-free remittance of all profits and other funds; and :#40-year ownership licenses. * Order #40 turns the banking sector from a state-run to a market-driven system overnight by allowing foreign banks to enter the Iraqi market and to purchase up to 50% of Iraqi banks. * Order #49 drops the tax rate on corporations from a high of 40% to a flat rate of 15%. The income tax rate is also capped at 15%. * Order #12 enacted on June 7, 2003 and renewed on February 24, 2004, suspended all tariffs, customs duties, import taxes, licensing fees and similar surcharges for goods entering or leaving Iraq, and all other trade restrictions that may apply to such goods. * Order #17 grants foreign contractors, including private security firms, full immunity from Iraq's laws. Some claim these orders violate the [[Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)|Hague regulations of 1907]] (the companion to the 1949 Geneva conventions, both ratified by the United States) and the U.S. Army’s Law of Land Warfare by fundamentally altering Iraq’s existing laws.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} ===Other criticisms=== ====Progress of reconstruction==== One of the CPA's most important tasks was the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure. While Iraq's oil infrastructure was rapidly repaired—with the notable exception of the meters— the progress of the reconstruction of Iraq's potable water, sewage and electricity systems was disappointingly slow. Defenders argued that this was due to the unanticipated volume and fierceness of those resisting the Coalition's occupation. Critics blame a CPA's preference for contracts with connected US firms; only 2% of the reconstruction contracts in 2003 were awarded to Iraqi firms.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} ====Shutting down the newspaper Al-Hawza==== On [[March 28]] [[2004]] Bremer ordered controversial Iraqi newspaper [[al-Hawza]] shut down<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3578183.stm BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraqi outcry as US bans newspaper<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> for two months. This move was widely criticized as running directly counter to President Bush's announced goal helping transform Iraq into a modern, democratic state. This move was even criticized by members of Bremer's own appointees on the Iraqi Governing Council. Al-Hawza had been started after the removal of [[Saddam Hussein]] and was considered a mouthpiece for [[Shi'a Islam|Shi'ite]] cleric [[Muqtada al-Sadr]].<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5139135 Bremer's Tale: The Top American in Iraq : NPR<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was shut down by the [[United States]]-led administration headed by Bremer on [[March 28]], [[2004]], after being accused of encouraging violence against [[Coalition of the willing|Coalition troops]]. There was discussion with [[Jeremy Greenstock]] about preparations to arrest Muqtada al-Sadr, who by early March 2004 had increased his militia following, the [[Mahdi army]], from about 200 followers to some 6,000, in a mere seven months. Bremer wrote in his book that "Greenstock said that this would be a difficult time to go after him ... I first urged [his] arrest last August...".<ref>Quote from ''My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope'', page 302, 3rd paragraph </ref> [[Iyad Allawi]], leader of the interim government, explicitly gave al-Hawza permission to re-open on [[July 18]], [[2004]]. ====Granting some foreign contractors immunity from Iraqi law==== Two days before he left Iraq, Bremer signed "Order 17"<ref>http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/20040627_CPAORD_17_Status_of_Coalition__Rev__with_Annex_A.pdf</ref> giving all staff associated with the [[Coalition Provisional Authority|CPA]] and the American government immunity from Iraqi law. One of his former top aides is quoted as saying, “we wanted to make sure our military, civilians and contractors were protected from Iraqi law.”<ref name='Newsweek 2007-09-20'>{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Hirch | coauthors= | title=Blackwater and the Bush Legacy | date=2007-09-20 | publisher= | url =http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20892483/site/newsweek/ | work =Newsweek | pages =2 | accessdate = 2007-09-23 | language = }}</ref> This stipulation was later incorporated into Iraqi law.<ref name='New York Times 2007-09-22'>{{cite news | first=James | last=Glanz | coauthors= Sabrine Travernise | title=Blackwater Case Will Go to Iraqi Criminal Courts | date=2007-09-22 | publisher= | url =http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/22/world/middleeast/22cnd-blackwater.html?ex=1348113600&en=8cc727c6bd706f8a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | work =The New York Times | pages = | accessdate = 2007-09-23 | language = }}</ref> Since then, violent events in Iraq involving American security companies such as [[Blackwater Worldwide|Blackwater]] have resulted in great resentment among Iraqis, who view them as private armies acting with impunity on their soil.<ref name='BBC 2007-09-25'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Iraq to end contractor 'immunity' | date=2007-09-25 | publisher=BBC | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7012853.stm | work =BBC News | pages = | accessdate = 2007-09-25 | language = }}</ref><ref name='CNN.com 2007-09-23'>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Blackwater staff face charges | date=2007-09-23 | publisher= | url =http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/23/blackwater.probe/index.html | work =CNN.com | pages = | accessdate = 2007-09-23 | language = }}</ref><ref name='Times Online 2007-09-20'>{{cite news | first=Tim | last=Reid | coauthors= | title=Blackwater must go, says Iraq leader | date=2007-09-20 | publisher=The Times | url =http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2489774.ece | work =Times Online | pages = | accessdate = 2007-09-23 | language = }}</ref><ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1554475820070923 Iraq sees security vacuum without Blackwater | U.S. | Reuters<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ====Early departure==== Bremer's early departure was sprung on the world press as a complete surprise. But the turnover of political power a couple of days earlier was suggested by members of the Bush Administration to thwart any plans the insurgency may have had for June 30th. The American spokesmen tried to put a positive spin on the early hand over, suggesting it was a sign of confidence in Iraq's progress. U.S. intelligence sources had monitored chatter that suggested resistance elements were planning demonstrations, or outright attacks, to coincide with the time of the official handover. An early handover would preempt the plans of resistance elements.<ref>[http://www.daralhayat.com/opinion/06-2004/Item-20040628-6c0d1ddc-c0a8-01ed-0004-aa02835ed1dc/story.html دار الحياة]</ref> Others read [[al-Hayat]]'s version published one day after Bremer's departure. The [[Arabic language]] newspaper released a story about Bremer's alleged romantic ties with an Iraqi translator, who continued to work for Bremer despite their apparent conflict of interests. The Arabic language newspaper further details the affair stating that the Iraqi woman and her family left for Jordan three days prior to the handover to wait for their anticipated departure for the United States. The paper can be quoted as saying that close acquaintances of the "young Iraqi lover" knew about the affair with the top American official (presumably Bremer) and knew something about future marriage plans. Although the subject of Bremer taking Iraqi women as wives has come up before during his stay in Iraq. Bremer responded to a reporter's question about the rumor of marrying Iraqi women, "I have the maximum number of wives permitted by my religion". This story can also be found in Bremer's book "My Year In Iraq...." His early departure was disruptive to the smooth transition of authority, as the [[KPMG audit of the Development Fund for Iraq]] made clear. In their management notes the external auditors describe trying to meet with Bremer, and being very surprised by his early departure. Many of Bremer's senior staff left when he did, meaning that important documents, required for the completion of the audit, could not be signed by the appropriate staff members.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} ==Post-Iraq== Since his return from Iraq, Bremer has been on a few speaking tours. One speaking engagement he made on [[October 4]] [[2004]] during a private conference held at a resort in [[White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia|White Sulphur Springs]], [[West Virginia]] started a media frenzy when an excerpt of Bremer's speech was released to the public, implying that lawlessness in Iraq might have been under better control by having more troops on the ground earlier on. It was reported, both a member of the [[White House]] staff and [[Condoleezza Rice]], the [[United States National Security Advisor|National Security Advisor]] at the time, telephoned Bremer to clarify what he had said. This took place during the [[U.S. Presidential election, 2004]]. Bremer made public what he actually said about Iraq in his article published [[October 8]] [[2004]] in ''[[The New York Times]]'' titled "What I Really Said About Iraq".<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/08/opinion/08bremer.html The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: What I Really Said About Iraq<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Bremer made several public appearances in 2005 and continues to make public appearances. Bremer was a keynote speaker at a San Diego conference in February 2005<ref>[http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wariniraq/paulbremertdwaterhouse.htm Online Speech Bank: Paul Bremer - Keynote Address at the TD Waterhouse Investment Advisor Conference<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and a guest speaker at several universities throughout the United States. On one such visit dated [[April 18]] [[2005]] at [[Clark University]], the aftermath of the [[Abu Ghraib]] prison scandal and the war in Iraq attracted several protestors who displayed anti-Bremer signs and hung him in effigy.<ref>[http://worcester.indymedia.org/news/2005/04/1122.php 100 Turnout Against Clark/Bremer : IMC Worcester<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] Indymedia reported during Bremer's Q&A session with his student audience: :When asked what he thought of reports of $9 billion missing from the funds to rebuild Iraq he said I suggest you not worry, as that $9 billion was Iraqi money, not US money.<ref>[http://worcester.indymedia.org/news/2005/04/1086.php Bremer speaks at Clark, 100 protest : IMC Worcester<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Worcester Indymedia report also mentioned that some of the students interviewed were disappointed with their university for allegedly having paid $40,000 for a speech that was "readily available on the internet". Other students countered by asking where the criticism for the university was when other lower profile speakers were brought to campus for similar amounts. === Bremer's book: ''My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope'' === Bremer also wrote a book about his experiences in Iraq, published January 2006. In a [[Dateline NBC]] interview broadcast on television on January 8, 2006, Bremer said that the job was more difficult than he originally anticipated. According to the ''[[Financial Times]] Online'', he was used as the Iraq "fall guy" for "postwar setbacks". Bremer was scheduled to speak at the public library in his hometown, [[New Canaan, Connecticut|New Canaan]], [[Connecticut]], on January 18th, 2006. The event was moved to the private St. Luke's School in the same town, due to the Fairfield County Ad-Hoc Bremer Belongs Behind Bars Coalition planning to demonstrate. Bremer has even made an appearance on [[Comedy Central|Comedy Central's]] [[The Daily Show]] with [[Jon Stewart]].<ref>[http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/media_player/play.jhtml?itemId=49786 Comedy Central: Comedy Central Official Site - Your Source for Comedians, Funny Video Clips, TV Shows, Games, Jokes, & Ringtones<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The two joked about their mutual attraction for each other, but the discussion changed course to the topic of Bremer's book. Bremer, among other things, repeatedly asserted during his 2006 book promotion tour, that when he came to Iraq, the Iraqi army had abandoned its barracks, and therefore "there was no army to disband". Defending his decision to expel Baath party members from government posts, he made public statements (e.g., during his speech to Los Angeles World Affairs Council) comparing Saddam Hussain with [[Hitler]], saying that Saddam admired Hitler and modeled the Baath Party structure on the Nazi state. Bremer has repeated his argument about the Iraqi Army on many occasions, including in his op-ed piece in the New York Times, "How I did not disband the Iraqi Army". He repeated the Hitler comparison in a speech at the annual Almond Board of California meeting held in Modesto, California, in December 2007.<ref name='Modbee 2007-12-10'>{{cite news | first=John | last=Holland | coauthors= | title=Bremer justifies Iraq war | date=[[2007-12-10]] | publisher= | url =http://www.modbee.com/local/story/143976.html | work =The Modesto Bee | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-11 | language = }}</ref> During a February 27, 2006 public appearance at [[Lynchburg College]], where his sister-in-law is an assistant dean, Bremer insisted that his decision to disband the Iraqi military was the correct one. Bremer has also made one, invitation only, guest appearance in [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]], [[South Carolina]]<ref>http://www.lexmed.com/PDF_FILES/Paul_Bremer.pdf</ref> in March [[2006]] as guest speaker for a charitable event sponsored by the Lexington Medical Center. The Chairman of a Congressional committee investigating Fraud and Abuse invited L. Paul Bremer, III to testify what happened during his tenure as head of the CPA and to respond to conclusions from a January 2005 audit report. The former administrator of Iraq appeared before the committee on February 6, 2007 and was in the "hot seat" as the committee questioned him about the missing $8.8 billion U.S. of Iraq's money and the chosen accounting method of these funds.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/06/iraq.cash.reut/index.html</ref> He is now one of the key targets of George W. Bush "blame game strategy" to clean its record on Iraq. (see March 17, 2008, The New York Times, "Fateful Choice on Iraq Army Bypassed Debate") Bremer currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board for [[GlobalSecure Corporation]], a company whose focus is "on securing the homeland with integrated products and services for the critical incident response community worldwide,".<ref>[http://www.globalsecurecorp.com Global Secure Corporation | Securing the homeland with integrated products and services for the critical incident response community worldwide<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and on the board of directors of BlastGard International, Inc., a company located in Florida that manufactures materials to mitigate the impact of explosions. (Standard and Poor's Register) Limited quantities of "I love L. Paul Bremer" t-shirts went on sale for $24.99 each at [[Amazon.com]] and for $16.00 a piece elsewhere on the internet. T-shirts with the slogan "L. Paul Bremer Loves Me" were also found on Amazon.com for $24.99 each, but are currently no longer available for sale. == Quotations == * "The new administration seems to be paying no attention to the problem of terrorism. What they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say, `Oh, my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this?'" (February 26, 2001, speaking at a McCormick Tribune Foundation conference on terrorism) * "...there are reasons why some people turn to terrorism. There are political reasons, there are economic reasons. Some people are simply criminals...."<ref>PBS interview ''Global Threat'', June 6, 2000 </ref> * "Ladies and gentlemen... we got him!" (December 14, 2003, announcing the capture of [[Saddam Hussein]]) == Further reading == * L. Paul Bremer & Malcolm McConnell: ''My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope'', 1st edn. (Canada: Simon & Schuster, January 2006). ISBN 0-7432-7389-3 and ISBN 978-0-7432-7389-3. ==See also== * [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] * [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] * [[KPMG audit of the Development Fund for Iraq]] * ''[[Paris Institute of Political Studies|Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris]] (Sciences Po)'' * [[Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.nndb.com/people/289/000023220/ Paul Bremer profile, NNDB] * [http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/entity.jsp?entity=paul_bremer Paul Bremer] timeline at the History Commons * [http://www.iraqcoalition.org/bremerbio.html CPA Bios] * [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5139135 Bremer's Tale: The Top American in Iraq], NPR ''Fresh Air from WHYY'' (Audio), [[January 10]], [[2006]] * [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/14/AR2006011400007.html?nav=hcmodule CPA Reunion Party] ''January 14, 2006'' * [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/yeariniraq/ "Frontline: the lost year in iraq |PBS"] [[2006]] *[http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article313538.ece What has happened to Iraq's missing $1bn?], [[The Independent]], [[September 19]] [[2005]] *[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-1731547,00.html My sadness at the privatisation of Iraq], ''Times Online'', [[August 12]] [[2005]] *[http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05207/543937.stm Former Bush aide turns critic as Iraq inspector], ''[[Wall Street Journal]], [[July 26]] [[2005]]''—Contains another perspective on the conflict between Bremer and Inspector General Bowen *[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002357082_iraqspend04.html Iraq reconstruction riddled with waste, audits find] ''[[The Seattle Times]], [[July 4]] [[2005]]'' * [http://www.naples.avemaria.edu/newscenter/newsdetail.asp?newsID=84 Ave Maria University Commencement Address], [[June 19]] [[2005]] * [http://worcester.indymedia.org/news/2005/04/1086.php Bremer Speaks at Clark University] ''Worcester IMC [[April 19]] [[2005]]'' * [http://orient.bowdoin.edu/orient/article.php?date=2005-04-15&section=1&id=4 Bremer, students spar] ''[[The Bowdoin Orient]]'', [[April 15]] [[2005]] * [http://www.timesrecord.com/website/archives.nsf/56606056e44e37508525696f00737257/8525696e00630dfe05256fe0005d13dd?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,Bremer Bremer explains, defends Iraq war] ''Brunswick Times Record'', [[April 11]] [[2005]] * [http://www.sigir.mil/pdf/dfi_ministry_report.pdf Oversight of Funds Provided to the Iraqi Ministries through the National Budget Process] report from the [[Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction]] that documents the unaccounted for $9 billion * [http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wariniraq/paulbremer.htm TD Waterhouse Keynote Address @ IA Conference] ''American Rhetoric [[February 4]] [[2005]]'' * [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,124608,00.html Transcript: Paul Bremer, Former U.S. Administrator in Iraq] ''Fox News'' [[July 6]] [[2004]] * [http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,655426,00.html Paul Bremer's Rough Ride] ''TIMES Archive'' [[June 28]] [[2004]] * [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-06-17-bremer-qanda_x.htm Bremer Answers Questions]''USAToday'' [[June 17]] [[2004]] * [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48543-2004May22.html In Iraq, the Job Opportunity of a Lifetime''] [[Washington Post]], [[May 22]] [[2004]] (about young volunteers hired by the Pentagon to handle financial tasks in Iraq) * [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4121960/ Racing the Clock in Iraq]''Newsweek'' [[February 9]] [[2004]] * [http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/031124fa_fact1_g Letter From Baghdad, War After the War] ''The New Yorker'' November [[2003]] * [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec03/bremer_9-24.html "Online NewsHour" Interview] [[September 24]] [[2003]] * [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/target/interviews/bremer.html Frontline Interview with L. Paul Bremer] [[August 1]] [[2003]] * [http://www.cathstan.org/news/06-19-03/3.shtml Faith Gives Him Strength], [[June 19]] [[2003]] * [http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/14/cf.00.html How Should America Address Terrorist Aggression], ''CNN'' television interview [[September 14]] [[2001]] * [http://www.nixoncenter.org/publications/Program%20Briefs/vol6no19Bremer.htm Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism A Presentation by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer] ''The Nixon Center'' [[July 19]] [[2000]] * [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/international/jan-june00/terror_6-6.html Global Threat], ''pbs'' interview of L. Paul Bremer, III and former [[CIA]] official [[Larry Johnson (political commentator)|Larry Johnson]], [[June 6]] [[2000]] * [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1079/is_n2146_v89/ai_7654929 Terrorism: its evolving nature - by L. Paul Bremer, III] ''US Dept. of State Bulletin'' May 1989 {{start box}} {{succession box|title=[[United States Ambassador to the Netherlands|U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands]]|before=[[William J. Dyess]]|after=[[John Shad]]|years=1983&ndash;1986}} {{succession box | before=[[Jay Garner]] | title= [[Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance]] for the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] of [[Iraq]] | years=[[May 11]] [[2003]] &ndash; [[June 28]] [[2004]]| after= [[Iyad Allawi]] (as Interim [[Prime Minister of Iraq]])<br />[[John Negroponte]] (as Ambassador to Iraq)<br /> [[Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer]] (as Interim [[President of Iraq]])}} {{end box}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Bremer, L. 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