Publication

This paper examines public security in Iraq under the Coalition Provisional Authority. The author argues that important lessons for future US peace and stability operations can be found in the civil upheaval that occurred in Iraq following the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime. These include lessons pertaining to public order, street crime, border control, and police recruitment, training, and combat. The paper concludes that one reason for the repetition of past mistakes is that the US lacks a mechanism for ensuring that lessons identified in one operation are included in training for the next.