L. Paul Bremer

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Paul Bremer

Bremer signs over limited sovereignty to Iraq's interim government, June 28, 2004

Lewis Paul Bremer III (born September 30, 1941), known as Paul Bremer and "Jerry" among his friends, was named Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-war Iraq following the Iraq War of 2003, replacing Jay Garner on May 6 2003[link].

In his role as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, he reported only to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and exercised authority over Iraq's civil administration. He served in this capacity from May 11, 2003 until limited Iraqi sovereignty was restored on June 28, 2004.

Contents

Biography

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Bremer was educated at NCCS, New Canaan Country School (where he recently won the annual Alumni Award), Phillips Academy (graduated in 1959) and at Yale University (earning a BA in 1963) and went on to earn an MBA from Harvard University in 1966. That year he joined the Foreign Service as Officer General in Kabul, Afghanistan, later continuing his education at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (more widely referred to as Sciences Po), where he earned a Certificate of Political Studies (CEP). He was also assigned in Blantyre, Malawi as Economic and Commercial Officer from 1968 to 1971. In addition to his native English, Bremer speaks Arabic, French, Dutch, Norwegian, Persian, German, and Spanish.

During the 1970s, Bremer held various domestic posts with the State Department, including posts as assistant to Henry Kissinger from 1972-76. Many of his memos as deputy executive secretary can be found at the memory hole [here] He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Oslo from 1976-79, returning to the US to take a post of Deputy Executive Secretary of State where he remained from 1979-81. In 1981 he became Executive Secretary and Special Assistant to Alexander Haig.

Ronald Reagan appointed Bremer as Ambassador to the Netherlands in 1983 and Ambassador-at-Large for Counterterrorism in 1986. Bremer retired from the Foreign Service in 1989 and became managing director at Kissinger and Associates, a worldwide consulting firm founded by Henry Kissinger. A Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, Bremer received the State Department Superior Honor Award, two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, and the Distinguished Honor Award from the Secretary of State. Before rejoining government in 2003, he was Chairman and CEO of Marsh Crisis Consulting, a risk and insurance services firm which is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., a trustee on [the Economic Club of New York], and a board member of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Akzo Nobel NV, the [Harvard Business School Club of New York] and The Netherlands-America Foundation. He served on the International Advisory Boards of Komatsu Corporation and Chugai Pharmaceuticals.

Bremer was appointed Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism by House Speaker Dennis Hastert in 1999. He also served on the National Academy of Science Commission examining the role of Science and Technology in countering terrorism. Bremer and his wife were the founders of the Lincoln/Douglass Scholarship Foundation, a Washington-based not for profit organization that provides high school scholarships to inner city youths.

On the day terrorists of Al-Qaeda crashed two high-jacked American commercial jetliners into the World Trade Center in New York City, Bremer and 1,700 of his employees at Marsh & McLennan had offices in both towers. Bremer's office was in the South Tower. He and his people occupied floors at and "above where the second aircraft hit." At the time of his television interview with CNN on September 14, 2001, 450 of his people were unaccounted for.

In late 2001, along with former Attorney General Edwin Meese, Bremer co-chaired the Heritage Foundation's Homeland Security Task Force, which created a blueprint for the White House's Department of Homeland Security. For two decades Bremer has been a regular at Congressional hearings and is recognized as an expert on terrorism and internal security. Some of Bremer's published work includes "Warfare & Defence Military Science Alliance Response to Nuclear Weapons Proliferation", "The Alliance Response to Nuclear Weapons Proliferation: Deterrence, Defense, and Cooperative Options", and "Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism: Report from the National Commission on Terrorism", a New York Times article "What I Really Said About Iraq", and his first book, "My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope".

Bremer is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.", December 14, 2004

Bremer was awarded on December 14 2004 the Presidential Medal of Freedom[link], America's highest civil award for "especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." "He was also presented with the Department of Defense award for Distinguished Public Service and the [Nixon Library] honored him with the "Victory of Freedom Award" for "demonstrating leadership and working towards peace and freedom." [link][link]

Bremer is married to the former Frances Winfield. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.

Administrator of Iraq

Bremer arrived in Iraq as the U.S. Presidential Envoy in May 2003. In June, President Bush appointed Bremer the chief executive authority in the country as U.S. Administrator of Iraq, a position that has been compared to that of a proconsul. [link], [link] Unlike the retired U.S. Army general Jay Garner, Bremer is not a military man and therefore, brought political and diplomatic skills, which some had accused Garner and other military leaders of lacking. Though Garner's leadership was largely praised, Bremer's appointment was criticized by human rights groups, who noted that while chairing the National Commission on Terrorism, Bremer advocated relaxation of CIA guidelines which since 1995 restricted working with terrorist spies or individuals and groups who have a record of human rights abuses. [link] Others suggested that he replaced Jay Garner as Bremer’s vision of the reconstruction (selling off oil and other assets to foreign companies, holding elections later) lined up better with the Washington Neo-Conservative vision than Garner’s plan of holding early elections (90 days after the fall of Baghdad) and allowing the new elected government decide what to do with the nations assets. [link]

As the top civil administrator of the former Coalition Provisional Authority, Bremer was tasked with a challenging job of overseeing the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq until the country was deemed to be in a state in which it can be self-governed, he was empowered to issue decrees to modify Iraq's infrastructure. Some notable decrees have included removing all restrictions on freedom of assembly, suspending the use of the death penalty, uphold Saddam Hussein's anti-worker union laws, and establishing a Central Criminal Court of Iraq. [link]. Pre-war and post-war contingencies were different from what actually took place.

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Bremer was credited and later heavilly criticized for officially disbanding the former Iraqi Army. But according to Bremer, there were no armies to disband. The brutality of Saddam's rule over his people and his own Iraqi soldiers led to many just leaving after the fall of Baghdad to go home; some to protect their own families from the criminal activities such as rampant looting. Critics claimed his extreme measures including the firing of thousands of school teachers and removing Ba'ath party members from top government positions, helped create & worsen an atmosphere of discontent among those who did not "fit in" with the socioeconomic profile the Americans were working with. As the insurgency grew stronger, so did the criticisms. Bremer was also in personal danger because of Iraqi perceptions of him and was henceforth heavily guarded. Attempts to assassinate the administrator took place a few times; none of them succeeded - one more publicized occurred on December 6, 2003 when his convoy driving on the dangerous Baghdad airport road was attacked by rebels as he was returning to the fortified Green Zone. His convoy was hit by a bomb and gunfire. The rear window of his Suburban was blown away. Bullets began to fly and Bremer and his deputies ducked below their seats. No injuries or casualties were reported. Some television viewers around the world who watched as Bremer announced the capture of Saddam also noticed Bremer walking off stage stiffly at the end of the press conference.

The report of the assassination attempt on Bremer was not released to the rest of the world until December 19, 2003 during his visit to Basra. There were other unreported assassination attempts during his stay in Iraq.

During Bremer's stay in Iraq, the Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden placed a bounty of 10,000 grams of gold on Bremer, the equivalent of $125,000 US at the time. [link]

Bremer, who has been called a staunch Roman Catholic, was given the nickname "Jerry" after a renowned Bible translator and religious historian known today as St. Jerome, his patron saint. He and his wife, Francie, converted to Catholicism in 1994. "He is a man of great personal faith," quoted Francie Bremer. "There is no doubt in my mind that I cannot succeed in this mission without the help of God," said Bremer. "The job is simply too big and complex for any one person, or any group of people to carry out successfully."..."We need God's help and seek it constantly."

On July 13, 2003, Bremer approved the creation of an Iraq Interim Governing Council as a way of "ensuring that the Iraqi people's interests are represented." The council members were chosen from prominent political, ethnic, and religious leaders who had opposed Saddam Hussein. Bremer retained veto power over the council's proposals. The council was authorized to select a limited number of delegates to key Coalition Provisional Authority committees, like the Program Review Board.

The other major milestone was the development and approval of an interim constitution. On March 1, 2004 after several hours of negotiations, with Bremer acting as mediator, the Iraq Interim Governing Council resolved the disagreements the council members had with clauses written in the interim constitution. A formal signing ceremony was scheduled for that Friday, March 5 2004. The stage was set and over 200 guests were present to witness the accomplishment of a major milestone. As the guests waited and the orchestra played, the signing was canceled due to objections by certain Shia members in the council, more notably by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a prominent religious leader in Iraq. The official signing finally took place the following Monday, March 8, 2004.

On June 28, 2004 at 10:26 AM local time, the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority formally transferred limited sovereignty of Iraqi territory to the Iraqi interim government, two days ahead of schedule. Bremer departed from the country on the same day. In his farewell speech which was broadcast on Iraqi television, he said "I leave Iraq gladdened by what has been accomplished and confident that your future is full of hope. A piece of my heart will always remain here in the beautiful land between the two rivers with its fertile valleys, its majestic mountains and its wonderful people...."

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Bremer's office was a division of the United States Department of Defense, and as Administrator he reported directly to the United States Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States. His senior advisor Dan Senor served as coalition spokesman, working with military spokesman Mark Kimmitt.

John Negroponte replaced Bremer as the highest ranking American civilian in Iraq.

Critics of Bremer's appointment

There were critics who opposed Bush's appointment of Bremer as the special presidential envoy to Iraq. One unnamed former U.S. State Department official suggested that Bremer was the wrong man for the job. The so-called "Washington in-fighting" appeared to have started as soon as Garner was replaced by Bremer.

Bremer's management of Iraq's oil revenue

Bremer was accountable to the Secretary of Defense for the actions he took. But, since his authority to spend Iraq's oil revenue derived from United Nations Resolution 1483, he was also accountable to the UN. The authority he derived from the UN to spend Iraq's oil revenue bound him to show that:

Expenditures were intended to benefit the Iraqi people.
The programs that were funded were decided upon, and supervised in an open, transparent manner.
Iraqis were invited to give meaningful input into how funds were spent.
The administrator of Iraq was co-operating with the International Advisory and Monitoring Board.
That proper fiscal controls were in place, so that it could be demonstrated that none of the funds were diverted, or mis-spent.

The commitment to employ qualified internal auditors

In his [second regulation], Bremer committed the CPA to hire a reputable firm of certified chartered accountants, to serve as internal auditors, to help make sure the Coalition's finances were administered according to modern accounting principles. These internal auditors would be separate and distinct from the external auditors who would report to the International Advisory and Monitoring Board. Paul Bremer did not honour this essential commitment. He did not make sure the CPA hired internal auditors.

When the external auditors arrived they learned that Bremer had not made sure the CPA lived up to the commitment to hire internal auditors to help set up a reliable accounting system. On the contrary they learned that a single contracted consultant kept track of the CPA’s expenditures in a series of spreadsheets.

The external auditors reported that rather than use a modern double-entry accounting system the CPA used what they described as “a single-entry, cash based, transaction list”.

Failure to perform month-end cash reconciliations

Under Bremer’s stewardship the CPA requested $12 billion in cash from the US treasury. Under Bremer’s stewardship the CPA paid out $12 billion in cash. The external auditors [management notes] point out that the CPA didn’t perform a cash reconciliation until April 2004, eleven months into Bremer's mandate, when they started their work.

Unmetered oil shipments

One of the concerns the IAMB kept raising was that the CPA had repaired the well-heads and pipelines for transporting Iraq’s oil, but they had stalled on repairing the meters that were necessary to document the shipment of Iraqi oil, so it could be demonstrated that none of it was being smuggled.

In their final [press release] before the CPA’s authority expired, on June 22 2004, the IAMB stated:

The IAMB was also informed by the CPA that contrary to earlier representations the award of metering contracts have been delayed and continues to urge the expeditious resolution of this critical issue.

The CPA has acknowledged that the failure to meter the oil shipments did result in some quantity of oil being smuggled -- an avoidable loss of Iraq's oil that was Bremer's responsibility. Neither Bremer nor any of his staff has offered an explanation for their failure to repair the meters. Neither Bremer nor any of his staff has offered an explanation for why they misrepresented their progress in repairing the meters.

By failing to repair the meters, and failing to honestly report the lack of progress, Bremer violated UN Security Council resolution 1483, under which he was accountable to the International Advisory and Monitoring Board for his expenditures of Iraqi resources.

Unaccounted-for funds

On January 30 2005, an [official report] by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, cited by Time, stated that $9 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq might have disappeared in frauds, corruption and other misbehavior. On one particular salary register, only 602 names among 8206 could be verified. As another cited example, the Coalition Authority authorized Iraqi officials to postpone declaring the reception of $2.5 billion, which the provisional government had received in spring through the Oil for Food program. [link] [link]

Bremer wrote an eight-page reply to deny the accusations according to The Time article stated that, during the IG's inquiry, Bowen's people refused to interview Bremer's deputies, and the IG's report failed to mention that Bremer and his people worked under extraordinary conditions, faced a high turnover rate, and had insufficient number of personnel to carry out their rebuilding and humanitarian relief efforts. Bremer's claim that Bowen's staff made no attempt to interview his staff is at odds with the detailed account of the external auditors, of their attempts to meet with Bremer and his staff. In the management notes they describe how some of the CPA's senior staff, including Bremer himself, just would not make themselves available to meet with the auditors. Others, like George Wolfe, the CPA's de facto treasurer, showed a total lack of cooperation.

As head of the CPA, Bremer bears the overall responsibility for the CPA's hiring policies that led to his staff being dangerously inexperienced and unable to provide the oversight necessary to protect the funds they were administering.

This issue also became a topic of discussion during some of Bremer's Q&A sessions with students and activists who attended Bremer's presentations. Some questioned Bremer if he could have done things differently in Iraq, but were notably disappointed when Paul Bremer avoided answering the question. Bremer allegedly responded to one such question with “ I will tell you what I told them, I'm saving that for my book... I need more time to reflect.”

Progress of the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure

One of the CPA's most important tasks was the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure. While Iraq's oil infrastructure was rapidly repaired -- with the notable exception of the meters -- the progress of the reconstruction of Iraq's potable water, sewage and electricity systems was disappointingly slow. Defenders argued that this was due to the unanticipated volume and fierceness of those resisting the Coalition's occupation. Critics argued that the manner in which Bremer and his aides, awarded reconstruction contracts played a big role. Most contracts were awarded to well connected US firms. Only 2% of the reconstruction contracts in 2003 were awarded to Iraqi firms.

Those who are more critical of the American's efforts to fix Iraq believe the Bush administration's issued certain Orders to maintain varying degrees of economic and political control even after sovereignty has been established in Iraq. Those who are more suspicious believe there were 100 Orders enacted by Bremer before his departure. These alleged orders are listed as follows

Order #39 allows for the following:

# privatization of Iraqs 200 state-owned enterprises;

# 100% foreign ownership of Iraqi businesses;

# national treatment of foreign firms;

# unrestricted, tax-free remittance of all profits and other funds; and

#40-year ownership licenses.

Order #40 turns the banking sector from a state-run to a market-driven system overnight by allowing foreign banks to enter the Iraqi market and to purchase up to 50% of Iraqi banks.

Order #49 drops the tax rate on corporations from a high of 40% to a flat rate of 15%. The income tax rate is also capped at 15%.

Order #12 enacted on June 7, 2003 and renewed on February 24, 2004, suspended all tariffs, customs duties, import taxes, licensing fees and similar surcharges for goods entering or leaving Iraq, and all other trade restrictions that may apply to such goods.

Order #17 grants foreign contractors, including private security firms, full immunity from Iraq's laws.

Order # 81 prohibits Iraqi farmers from using the methods of agriculture that they have used for centuries. The common worldwide practice of saving heirloom seeds from one year to the next is now illegal in Iraq.

One interpretation of international law is that Bremer's orders are illegal as they fundamentally alter Iraq’s existing laws. This as transformation of an occupied country’s laws violates the Hague regulations of 1907 (the companion to the 1949 Geneva conventions, both ratified by the United States), and the U.S. Army’s Law of Land Warfare.

Other controversies

Disbanding of the Iraqi Army

On May 23, 2003 Bremer issued [Order 2], in effect dissolving the entire former Iraqi army and putting 400,000 former Iraqi soldiers out of work.[link] The move was widely criticised for creating a large pool of disgruntled youths for the insurgency to draw recruits from. Former soldiers took to the streets in mass protests to demand back pay. Many of them threatened violence if their demands were not met.[link][link][link][link] After two protesters were killed by U.S. troops, the CPA agreed to pay up to 250,000 former soldiers a stipend of $50 to $150 a month. Conscripts were given a single severance payment.[link] Many of the former soldiers found this to be grossly inadequate.[link]

Shutting down the newspaper Al-Hawza

On March 28 2004 Bremer ordered controversial Iraqi newspaper [Al-Hawza] shut down for two months. This move was widely criticized as running directly counter to President Bush's announced goal helping transform Iraq into a modern, democratic state. This move was even criticized by members of Bremer's own appointees on the Iraqi Governing Council.

Al Hawza or al Hauza was a newspaper in Iraq, started after the removal of Saddam Hussein and is considered to have the mouthpiece for Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr[link]. It was shut down by the United States–led administration headed by Bremer on March 28, 2004, after being accused of encouraging violence against Coalition troops. There was even discussion with British Jeremy Greenstock to be prepared to arrest Muqtada Sadr, who by early March 2004 had increased his army in seven months from 200 followers to 6,000. Bremer wrote in his book, "...but Greenstock said that this would be a difficult time to go after him ... I first urged [for] his arrest" last August..." (reference: My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope, page 302, 3rd paragraph).

Iyad Allawi, leader of the interim government, explicitly gave al-Hawza permission to re-open on July 18 2004.

Early departure

Bremer's early departure was sprung on the world press as a complete surprise. But the turnover of political power a couple of days earlier was suggested by members of the Bush Administraton to thwart any plans the insurgency may have had for June 30th. The American spokesmen tried to put a positive spin on the early hand over, suggesting it was a sign of confidence in Iraq's progress.

U.S. intelligence sources had monitored chatter that suggested resistance elements were planning demonstrations, or outright attacks, to coincide with the time of the official handover. An early handover would preempt the plans of resistance elements. [link]

Another speculation focused around a report published in the London-based Arabic language newspaper [Dar Al-Hayat] just one day after Bremer allegedly left the country. Al-Hayat's story claimed Bremer fled the country and left his [Iraqi lover] behind in Jordan, and that his "speedy" departure was connected with his love affair.

His early departure was disruptive to the smooth transition of authority, as the KPMG audit of the Development Fund for Iraq made clear. In their management notes the external auditors describe trying to meet with Bremer, and being very surprised by his early departure.

Many of Bremer's senior staff left when he did, meaning that important documents, required for the completion of the audit, could not be signed by the appropriate staff members.

Post-Iraq

Since his return from Iraq, Bremer has been on a few speaking tours. One speaking engagement he made on October 4 2004 during a private conference held at a resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia started a media frenzy when an excerpt of Bremer's speech was released to the public, implying that lawlessness in Iraq might have been under better control by having more troops on the ground earlier on. It was reported, both a member of the White House staff and Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Advisor at the time, telephoned Bremer to clarify what he had said. This took place during the U.S. Presidential election, 2004. Bremer made public what he actually said about Iraq in his article published October 8 2004 in The New York Times titled ["What I Really Said About Iraq"].

Bremer has made several public appearances in 2005 as well. Bremer was a keynote speaker at a San Diego conference in February 2005 (reference: speech bank on the American Rhetoric) and a guest speaker at several universities throughout the United States. On one such visit dated April 18, 2005 at Clark University, the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the war in Iraq attracted several protestors [link] displaying anti-Bremer signs and a dangling effigy of Bremer. The Worcester Indymedia [link] reported during Bremer's Q&A session with his student audience:

When asked what he thought of reports of $9 billion missing from the funds to rebuild Iraq he said "I suggest you not worry, as that $9 billion was Iraqi money, not US money."

The Worcester Indymedia report also mentioned that some of the students interviewed were disappointed with their university for alledgedly having paid $40,000 for a speech that was "readily available on the internet".

Bremer currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board for [GlobalSecure Corporation], a company whose focus is "on securing the homeland with integrated products and services for the critical incident response community worldwide".

Bremer's Book: My Year In Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope

Bremer has also finished writing his book about his experiences in Iraq, published January 2006. Bremer reveals what actually transpired during the 14 months he spent in Iraq. In a Dateline NBC interview broadcast on television 1/8/2006, Bremer said that the job was more difficult than he originally anticipated. According to the Financial Times Online, he was used as the Iraq "fall guy" [link] for "postwar setbacks." Bremer spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. January 12th

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Speeches & Booksigning in 2006 [link]
January 12, 2006 - Washington, D.C. [link]
January 17, 2006 - Manhattan, New York [link]
January 18, 2006 - New Canaan, Connecticut [link]
January 23, 2006 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [link] (to a Sold Out crowd)
January 24 & 25, 2006 - Chicago, Illinois
January 26, 2006 - Houston, Texas
January 27, 2006 - Dallas & Fort Worth, Texas
January 30, 2006 - Yorba Linda & Los Angeles, California
January 31, 2006 - San Diego, California
February 1, 2006 - San Francisco, California
February 2, 2006 - Seattle, Washington
February 6, 2006 - Sarasota, Florida
February 9, 2006 - Atlanta, Georgia
February 14, 2006 - Boston, Massachusetts Waiting List Only
February 16, 2006 - Phoenix,Arizona
February 22, 2006 - Colorado Springs & Denver, Colorado
February 27, 2006 - Lynchburg, Virginia
February 28, 2006 - Richmond, Virginia
March 12, 2006 - Chester, Vermont
March 18, 2006 - Manchester, Vermont
March 23, 2006 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
March 27, 2006 - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Bremer was scheduled to speak at the public library in his hometown, New Canaan, Connecticut on January 18th, 2006. The event was moved to the private St. Luke's School in the same town, due to the Fairfield County Ad-Hoc Bremer Belongs Behind Bars Coalition [link] planning to demonstrate. Any protesters on the list to enter the building were anyway denied access. Bremer and his female companion, accompanied by a Secret Service escort and New Canaan Police deputies, exited the school at high speeds at approximately 10PM, flying directly past the group of protesters.

Bremer has even made an appearance on television's Comedy Central with Jon Stewart. [link] The two joked about their mutual attraction for each other, but the discussion changed course to the topic of Bremer's book.

Bremer's book tour also included visits to the Atlanta History Center on February 9 and Phillips Academy on February 14.

Trivia

Comments about Bremer: "What special expertise about Iraq or the Middle East is Bremer bringing to Iraq? "None", says a former senior State Department official who has worked with Bremer. He is a "voracious opportunist with voracious ambitions," the official told Newsday. "What he knows about Iraq could not quite fill a thimble. What he knows about any part of the world would not fill a thimble. But what he knows about Washington infighting could fill three or four bushel baskets."[link]
Items named after Bremer:

:Ten-foot high concrete blast walls that protect buildings in Baghdad from car-bombings are called Bremer Walls.

:When the new Iraqi dinar was first introduced, it was nicknamed the Bremer Dollar.

Known for sporting his Brooks Brothers suits and desert combat boots while in Iraq (boots believed to have been bronzed for the grandchildren). Within the CPA, this was known as the "Bremer Look".

Bremer has competed in triathlons and in marathons. Other sports activities including hiking, cycling and snow skiing.

Bremer's interest also includes gardening. He has a vegetable garden too.

Bremer is trained in the art of culinary cooking [link] ("five years of night classes") and taught cooking classes in Vermont before being called to duty in Iraq.

From his extensive travels throughout the world - the Middle East, Europe, and China, Bremer has mentioned that his favorite cuisines include: French cuisine, Middle Eastern cuisine, and Chinese cuisine

Honorary degree recipient of doctor of law from Ave Marie, June 19 2005

Quotations

"...there are reasons why some people turn to terrorism. There are political reasons, there are economic reasons. Some people are simply criminals...." (PBS interview Global Threat June 6, 2000).
"Ladies and gentlemen... we got him!" (December 14, 2003, announcing the capture of Saddam Hussein)

External links

[Paul Bremer profile, NNDB]
[CPA Bios]
[Bremer's Tale: The Top American in Iraq], NPR Fresh Air from WHYY (Audio), January10, 2006
[CPA Reunion Party] January 14, 2006
[What has happened to Iraq's missing $1bn?], The Independent, September 19 2005
[My sadness at the privatisation of Iraq], Times Online, August 12 2005
[Former Bush aide turns critic as Iraq inspector], Wall Street Journal, July 26 2005 -- Contains another perspective on the conflict between Bremer and Inspector General Bowen
[Iraq reconstruction riddled with waste, audits find] The Seattle Times, July 4 2005
[Ave Maria University Commencement Address], June 19 2005
[Bremer Speaks at Clark University] Worcester IMC April 19 2005
[Bremer, students spar] The Bowdoin Orient, April 15 2005
[Bremer explains, defends Iraq war] Brunswick Times Record, April 11 2005
[Oversight of Funds Provided to the Iraqi Ministries through the National Budget Process] report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction that documents the unaccounted for $9 billion
[TD Waterhouse Keynote Address @ IA Conference] American Rhetoric February 4 2005
[Transcript: Paul Bremer, Former U.S. Administrator in Iraq] Fox News July 6 2004
[Paul Bremer's Rough Ride] TIMES Archive June 28 2004
[Bremer Answers Questions]USAToday June 17 2004
[In Iraq, the Job Opportunity of a Lifetime''] Washington Post, May 22 2004 (about young volunteers hired by the Pentagon to handle financial tasks in Iraq)
[Racing the Clock in Iraq]Newsweek February 9 2004
[Letter From Baghdad, War After the War] The New Yorker November 2003
["Online NewsHour" Interview] September 24 2003
[Frontline Interview with L. Paul Bremer] August 1 2003
[Faith Gives Him Strength], June 19 2003
[How Should America Address Terrorist Aggression], CNN television interview September 14 2001
[Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism A Presentation by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer] The Nixon Center July 19 2000
[Global Threat], pbs interview of L. Paul Bremer, III and former CIA official Larry Johnson, June 6 2000
[Terrorism: its evolving nature - by L. Paul Bremer, III] US Dept. of State Bulletin May 1989