Any Given Saturday

We started today off with a cool breeze rolling in to the base. The breeze turned up a lot of dust, to the point where we thought it could turn into a dust storm. It didn't though. The breeze persisted and the temperature dropped all day and a light rain set in by the evening.

Here's a picture from the front of my junker truck (we call her "Hotness") at the threat of a dust storm rolling in. It was nice to get out of the office today and do some site visits and check out a few construction projects.

Al Asad was Saddam's premier air base and he spent Billions of dollars on its construction. Just about every structure is hardened, buried, or appears to be fortified. This is the exposed part of a fortified bunker that the US dropped a bunker buster on during Gulf War I. I've got jobs at locations that look bomb-proof, but were no match for our bunker busters.

Dinner:

I have been working with two companies that I thought could help each other, one a very good Turkish company called "Lara Group" and the other an Iraqi company called "Al Folatheya." Al Folatheya means "like steel." I've been trying to introduce the two companies so they can partner on some projects, maybe the Turkish company could mentor the Iraqi company through some successful projects. The end state goal is to give the Iraqi company enough training and guidance to get better with their project management and construction technique, eventually making them a leader in the construction business when we all leave. In my "match making" endeavor, the Iraqi company invited me to bring the Turkish company to dinner, so we all came and met and then ate dinner together.
From left to right: Me, Azhar (Iraqi interpreter), Ali (owner of Al Folatheya - and our host for the dinner), Rabia (owner of Lara Group), and Tenet (Engineer at Lara Group - and husband to Rabia). Not shown are my two guards/escorts (not that I need them for security), AM1 Cotto and EN1 Harlow.

Pictured is a typical Iraqi meal of fresh fruits, flat bread, grilled lamb, chicken, and vegetables, and a pickled side veg. It is typical for all the food to be on one plate where everyone eats from it with their hands. Here, eating from the same plate makes you family. I appreciate the sentiment but am glad they give us a plate of our own to use! This is my third Iraqi meal so far, and ALWAYS delicious. The people here are more than gracious hosts...they often go overboard putting out their best for us!! They're great people and really appreciate us.

The negotiations:

It's difficult to work between Turkish to English to Iraqi translations. The talks were about an hour with plenty of misunderstandings, and edgy at times. I felt I had the role of intermediary, and had to ensure diplomacy because the Iraqi company has loyalties to their family companies, and he also doesn't want to appear to need the Turks. The Turks know they're the best company on base, and recognize they don't really need the Iraqi company, but they do want to help build the Iraqi capability. The Iraqi's need to save face and be seen as "partners" rather than enter a business relationship where they are treated like a little brother.

This is Ali, the owner of Al Folatheya, and he is a good man. He tries really hard and has had many challenges to running a successful Iraqi construction company. His heart is in the business, but he needs a lot of work to fulfill his potential. I think the measure of our success here in Iraq will be determined by our ability to help them recognize their potential and reach it.