Word: bremer
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Iraq this week saw its second regime-change in a month: The official line may be that the hand-over of authority in Baghdad from retired general Jay Garner to former ambassador Paul Bremer is simply a preplanned administrative change signaling progress and continuity, but it was clear to many in the Iraqi capital on Thursday that significant changes have occurred. U.S. military units that had been slated to go home were suddenly ordered to stay, and to begin systematically patrolling the city with an eye to stopping looting and restoring order. Bremer announced on Thursday that these patrols...
...sharpest reminder of the urgency of Bremer's mission came on Tuesday, not in Iraq itself, but in neighboring Saudi Arabia, where suspected al-Qaeda operatives staged a deadly multiple terror attack on Americans and other foreigners. Al Qaeda loves a vacuum - it's no coincidence that the network's headquarters have been in states such as Afghanistan and Sudan, rather than authoritarian autocracies such as Saddam's Iraq. But if the current turmoil in Iraq persists, it would certainly fit the textbook definition of an attractive setting for Bin Laden acolytes seeking new addresses...
...Bremer is also moving quickly on a number of other fronts to speed the delivery of basic services to Iraqis, to demonstrate that the coalition is in charge and that it is pursuing plans to make life better in Iraq. It's not yet clear how he plans to manage the establishment of an interim government, although that may become clearer after he meets on Friday with the seven-member leadership council tapped by Garner to organize the process. The political landscape remains uncertain, particularly in respect of the majority Shiite community, many of whose clerical leaders are rejecting...
...Bremer's appointment had been characterized in the U.S. media as a victory for Secretary of State Colin Powell in his battles with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, but while Bremer hails from the State Department, he is reported to hold hawkish views on Islamic extremism, and in his new position he reports directly to Rumsfeld. In fact, Washington insiders cite his ability to bridge the Defense-State divide as among his primary assets in the job. Another may be his understanding of the urgency of the U.S.-led occupation authority delivering security and services to ordinary Iraqis: His most senior position...
...Appointed. L. Paul Bremer III, 61, veteran U.S. diplomat and State Department counter-terrorism expert; as the top U.S. civilian official in Iraq; in Washington, D.C. Bremer, who will try to cobble together a new government for Iraq, outranks Jay Garner, the Pentagon-appointed administrator. Announcing his appointment, President George W. Bush described Bremer as a "can-do" person...