Iraq and the Man on the Moon: Bernd Debusmann

By Bernd Debusmann

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The troubles of the United States in Iraq have been blamed on many causes: too few troops, wrong strategies, flawed intelligence, a very stubborn commander-in-chief.

The Man on the Moon rarely rates a public mention.

But the Man on the Moon looms so large in relations between the U.S. and 28 million Iraqis that every U.S. field commander knows his job would be easier if no American had ever set foot on the moon.

The Man on the Moon even gets a specific mention in the counterinsurgency manual the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps adopted last December. It is now taught at every U.S. military college and has the following passage:

"U.S. forces start with a built-in challenge because of their reputation for accomplishment, what some call 'the man on the moon syndrome.' This refers to the expressed disbelief that a nation able to put a man on the moon cannot quickly restore basic services.

"In some cultures, failure to deliver promised results is automatically interpreted as deliberate deception rather than good intentions gone awry."

The "expressed disbelief" is voiced in such questions in Iraq as "how come the Americans could send a man on the moon but can't bring us power. Or water. Or jobs. Or security.

Didn't Paul Bremer, at the time Iraq's effective ruler, say back in August 2003 that the country would soon have a 24-hour electricity supply?