I am working on the economic reconstruction of Iraq at the request of the US government, mostly working with the Prime Ministers office. The day to day life is not that exciting. Foreign experts are trapped in a concrete compound with 72 armed guards around it mostly South African mercenaries but more and more Iraqis.
We are unable to actually see Iraq - we move in steel clad armed convoys, wearing bulletproof vests and flak helmets, and see roads lined with concrete barriers, palm trees, and the insides of secured government buildings. It is like working in a bubble of security surrounded by a real country that is completely invisible. Constant military checkpoints when you are moving.
We are surrounded by eyes – the bad guys are constantly looking for an opportunity to strike, and so the security is tight and professional. We move unpredictably, changing directions and speeds to prevent ambushes. An expert was killed a couple of months ago when he visited the same university three times. By the third time, the bad guys had set up an IED along the road and got him. When we leave the compound, we can assume cell phone calls are being made alerting folks ahead of us to be ready if we give them a chance. So we don't visit the same place on any set schedule, we leave meetings earlier than scheduled, we don't make it easy.
Inside the compound, a couple of hundred foreigners live very simply – cafeteria food, a small but popular bar called the Casbah, and a nice gym. Everyone is very nice and welcoming.
Economic reforms are less visually dramatic, but more important, than mere security problems!
