"It's not that the terrible things we see on TV-the car bombings and such-don't happen. They do. But there's another Iraq in which people are trying to go about the work of rebuilding their country. It's sometimes hard in the U.S. to distinguish between the two perspectives because the violence in Iraq tends to push the news about progress off the screen. Once Iraq is stable and relatively violence-free, you are going to see many more talented Iraqis step forward to assist those who have been shouldering the burden thus far," Williams says. "We cannot say enough about the Iraqi patriots who have risked their lives to help build the foundations of a democratic society in very dangerous circumstances. They are courageous people who have come forward in a time when even the simplest gesture of cooperation can endanger their lives." President Obama named RPCV Aaron Williams the Director of the Peace Corps on July 14, 2009.
Aaron Williams led RTI Team that provided Aid for Local Governance in Iraq
Aiding Local Governance in Iraq
In 2003 Williams led the RTI team that went into Iraq to aid in local governance. On April 23, 2003, RTI sent an advance team to Kuwait expecting to have about a month to organize before entering Iraq. Instead, US AID immediately ordered RTI to move into the country. The first group of RTI contractors crossed the boarder, headed for Basrah, while the second set out for Baghdad to help create the capital city council. Within a week of getting the "go order," the first RTI team, driving Chevy Suburbans loaded with tents, fuel, food, satellite phones, and office supples, pulled into Basrah, the largest city in southern Iraq. What they found was a disaster" public ofrfices stripped of all furnishings, widespread looting, and no basic services. The British forces controlling Basrah asked RTI to engage immediately with the city's provincial council. Williams consulted with the local Shia leaders ont he councils "to determine what their priorities and needs were." The team sought out Iraqi technocrats to help determine the levels of aid necessary for rehabilitation.
Williams stated in RTI International's Annual Report for 2004 that he was cautiously optimistic achieving the goal of setting up the beginnings of locally representative governments throughout 17 of Iraq's 18 provinces. "It's not that the terrible things we see on TV-the car bombings and such-don't happen. They do. But there's another Iraq in which people are trying to go about the work of rebuilding their country. It's sometimes hard in the U.S. to distinguish between the two perspectives because the violence in Iraq tends to push the news about progress off the screen. Once Iraq is stable and relatively violence-free, you are going to see many more talented Iraqis step forward to assist those who have been shouldering the burden thus far," Williams says. "We cannot say enough about the Iraqi patriots who have risked their lives to help build the foundations of a democratic society in very dangerous circumstances. They are courageous people who have come forward in a time when even the simplest gesture of cooperation can endanger their lives."
