Interview February 2nd, 2005:

Major Bob Bevelacqua, Fox News Military Analyst, was on the ground in Iraq up until two weeks ago. Major Bob Bevelacqua answered the following questions regarding the success of the Iraq elections:

Gabrielle Reilly: How would you rate the overall success of the Iraq election?

Major Bob Bevelacqua: Very successful, 60% of eligible voters walked to the polls, literally, and refused to be intimidated by the insurgents. The security situation was well below the anticipated blood bath that most of us expected.

Gabrielle Reilly: What was the overall Sunni response to the election?

Major Bob Bevelacqua: I think this is still being evaluated. I know several Sunni Iraqis and they all voted, down to the last man and woman - so I would say that is a good indicator. Over the next couple of weeks we should have a better picture on Sunni voter turn out, but there were no large Sunni demonstrations against the elections.

Gabrielle Reilly: Did Al-Sadr and his militia obstruct the elections in anyway?

Major Bob Bevelacqua: I don't think so and this is due largely in part to Al Sistani issuing a Fatwa for all Shia to vote - Al-Sadr can not resend an order like that so he had no choice but to play along.

Gabrielle Reilly: It appears to me that the difference between Al-Sadr and the foreign insurgents was Al-Sadr had a vested interest in the future of Iraq and the insurgents had a vested interest in creating chaos in Iraq. Are there any areas of concern you feel we need to be aware off for stabilizing Iraq now the election is over?

Major Bob Bevelacqua: The Interim Iraqi Government must focus on cleaning up internal corruption. The legitimization of the government is going to become a key message of the insurgency and they will attempt to discredit the government whenever possible. The U.S. must assist the government with internal audits and inspections and continue to provide security while training Iraqi forces to eventually replace them.

Gabrielle Reilly: Absolutely. Sierra Leone, on the west coast of Africa, had a very successful reconstruction using an extensive plan which included an anti-corruption department set up by the United Kingdom. Click here to view the model they used which is certainly worth reviewing. Stamping out corruption is an essential element in the countries future. Do we need to adopt any new strategies and tactics as the Iraqi's take control back of their country?

Major Bob Bevelacqua: Yes, avoidance and a low profile. Once the Iraqis begin to run operations the US must assume a low profile and avoid confrontation with both Iraqis and the insurgency. If we continue to lead the charge we will find it hard to redeploy back to the States.

Gabrielle Reilly: I agree a low profile is also essential. Actually, the British had another successful model they used to keep a low profile in Sierra Leone. The "over the horizon rapid response" team was brilliant. They had their naval ship floating off the coast of West Africa with troops ready for immediate deployment should any uprising reoccur. Obviously the geography is different in Iraq but perhaps moving into a remote model could be ideal when the country is more stable. Do you have any guidelines on when you think US troops should withdraw?

Major Bob Bevelacqua: When the Iraqi military can stand on their own two feet, when there is a cop on every street corner in every major city and when the Iraqi government stops ripping off the people through money laundering and skimming of projects....this could take a while...!

Gabrielle Reilly: Yes it would be a disaster to leave before Iraq is stabilized. Iraq would become the next terrorist playground like Afghanistan had become under the Taliban rule. People loosing their patience must remember that what happened in Afghanistan gravely affected us in America on 9/11. What happens in Iraq can also gravely affect our future and make the War on Terror last longer with far more causalities.

END

For another interview with Major Bob on the Iraq elections click here:

Major Bob has a book out (I must like it, I endorsed the back cover) that draws on his extensive "on the ground" experience around the world: "Major Bob Unvarnished - Why We Keep Making The Same Mistakes".