The State Department today convened a conference call for interested media and bloggers with Thomas Timberman, the Team Leader of the North Babil Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (EPRT). Like the Provincial Reconstruction Teams, which focus on economic and political progress on the level of provinces, the EPRTs promote economic development on a local level, encouraging Iraqis to develop the skills to be self-sufficient after the US departs. Timberman noted that in the sub-provincial level, for-profit economic ventures are foreign. His EPRT is working with 7 local organizations ‘to transfer skills and change attitudes.’ Tom is member of Senior Foreign Service, with more than 25 years at the State Department. His team is a relatively small one — by his choice. He believes that a team of 10 or fewer is more manageable. It includes an economist from USAID, an Army NCO with medical skills, an interpreter, and an American of Iraqi background who is also an agricultural expert. Timberman reports that the work is going very well so far. He is working largely with local governments, which historically have a distrust of the central government — at least in this part of Iraq. The region depends on agricultural cooperatives that have traditionally received little assistance from Baghdad, and have resented having their young men drafted. The goal is to ensure that they don’t need to depend on Baghdad any more than they do now and have in the past. Tom notes that the normal State Department tour in Iraq is 12 months, and he has requested a 6 month extension to complete the work he has begun. When I asked what would happen if the US significantly reduces its military presence in that time, he indicated that State Department is planning for such a contingency. In such an event, EPRTs would probably be shifted to more central locations — in his case, probably to Hilla. Timberman is another one of those upbeat people on the ground, who sees day-to-day how some Iraqis have come to appreciate and value the US presence. It seemed pretty important to him that he get the chance to finish what he has started. Read also the very thorough McQ at QandO.
