Iraq

The Iraq Experience Project

An initiative led by USIP's Professional Training program, the Iraq Experience Project is designed to collect, distill, and disseminate lessons learned from U.S. government officials, military officers, and contractors who served in Iraq. Using a combination of tools from printed reports to interactive DVDs, the Iraq Experience Project seeks to help U.S. civilian and military personnel by providing the training and skills needed for Americans serving in Iraq and beyond.

In May 2004 USIP completed the first phase of this project with the release of an interactive DVD entitled "The Iraq Experience: A Briefing on Living and Working in Iraq." Based on candid interviews with Americans who have recently returned from Iraq, the DVD uses a documentary style to make lessons learned available to new employees in a format that is easily accessible, interesting, and educational. Two hours of content is divided into individual topics that may be accessed interactively, including Iraqi history, Iraqi culture and society, security challenges, political transition, economic reconstruction, military-civil affairs, and life in the International Zone. Users are able to watch the DVD in either a classroom setting or at home, selecting either specific sections of interest or watching the entire program from start to finish.

Building upon the success of the Iraq Experience DVD, USIP initiated a process in April 2005 to produce several training-related publications concerning U.S. civilian experiences and lessons learned in Iraq. This phase of the Iraq Experience Project focused on three crucial issues: governance, security, and economic reconstruction. The information collected through interviews with returnees was used to prepare three USIP Special Reports. Following the publication of the reports, USIP hosted a conference featuring experts on postconflict security, reconstruction, and stabilization in early 2005. This conference explored the issues raised in the reports and gathered insights concerning the challenges of postconflict intervention from issue experts and practitioners.

In the third phase of the Iraq Experience Project, USIP utilized the information and lessons collected to produce an updated replacement for USIP's Guide to IGOs, NGOs, and the Military in Peace and Relief Operations. This updated guide serves both as a resource for those working in the field as well as a training tool to help prepare Americans serving in postconflict environments and zones of conflict around the globe.