What was your first assignment?
In support of getting small businesses started, it was to survey small businesses, find out what they need and based on that we were supposed to create a business center, sort of like an SBDC [small business development center] to help these businesses in Baghdad, to write the plan, to initiate the center and to create a super organization for all the various small business centers to come and chambers and other associations dedicated to promoting business.
This was at the height of violence, so, of course, it was an absolutely absurd idea.
How crazy did it get?
I can give you a real keen example. One of our jobs was to create this center and a board of directors and train that board. The center had nine directors, most selected before I got there. But one of the nine was kidnapped and murdered. Six of the eight now live in Amman [the capital of Jordan]. Two of the six have declared they will never under any circumstances go back to Iraq. Two had their businesses blown up. . . . The situation was not really conducive.
Your book talks about the difficulty of setting up a simple business meeting.
We had a joint venture with another company. We were supposed to share space. The head of that company and 10 of his employees were kidnapped, although they were returned. It was just thuggery.
They were, $550,000 later, all alive. Clearly, we weren't going to put something in that neighborhood. It was just too dangerous. People who were seen with us, seen with Americans at that time, had targets on their backs. We had to have clandestine meetings with our board of directors. When we went out to speak with a businessperson, it had to be done with very high secrecy and security because of dangers, not to me, but to them. So it was a very bad situation. I will say it's a little better now.
Eventually you had a direct contract with the State Department. Why was it a difficult relationship?
They got the big stuff but never got the small stuff, and building businesses is about the small stuff.
You write that most of your ideas were rejected, often after you'd been told to go forward.
First I said we should create a virtual center. Something most people don't know is that Iraqis are very well connected. People have satellite dishes everywhere and do a lot of business out of their homes. The State Department said it was too hard to check up on progress. They rejected that. One plan after another changed and died.
