MilBlogger Helps Iraqi Convict
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James Joyner | Tuesday, June 13, 2006 |
Greg Jaffe has an interesting feature in today’s WSJ about the efforts of an Army MP unit in Iraq to help gain the release of an inmate who was pardoned in 2002 and then mysteriously re-incarcerated. The central character is none other than Intel Dump’s Phil Carter.
Why a U.S. Army captain took on the case of a convicted murderer speaks volumes about how the American strategy has changed in Iraq in the past six months, as the U.S. tries to turn control back to the Iraqis. It also shows how painful and halting progress in Iraq can be.
Capt. Carter hopes to use the case to make a larger point: that the Iraqi judicial system, dominated by personal and sectarian grudges, needs to follow its own rules. “It appeared like the perfect test case, because it would show that the result should be dictated by Iraqi law and not by the whim of any individual,” he says.
It’s an interesting read that highlights both the innovative approaches taken by unit level commanders to solve problems they see on the ground and how far we have to go to establish the rule of law in Iraq.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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