Paul Bremer
Lewis Paul Bremer III, also known as Jerry Bremer, (born September 30, 1941) was named Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for post-war Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq to replace Jay Garner on May 6, 2003. He arrived in Iraq on May 11 and left on June 28, 2004, when sovereignty was returned to Iraq.
Biography
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Bremer was educated at Phillips Academy and at Yale University (earning a B.A. in 1963) and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University in 1967. That year he joined the Foreign Service as Officer General in Kabul, Afghanistan, later continuing his education at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, 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.
During the 1970s Bremer held various domestic posts with the State Department, including posts as assistant to Henry Kissinger from 1972-76. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Oslo from 1976-79, returning stateside 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. During his career, Ambassador Bremer received the State Department Superior Honor Award, two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, and the Distinguished Honor Award from the Secretary of State. Prior to his appointment as the top U.S. Administrator of Iraq, he was Chairman and CEO of Marsh Crisis Consulting, a risk and insurance services firm which is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Before rejoining government, Bremer served on the board of directors of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Akzo Nobel NV, the Harvard Business School Club of New York and The Netherland-America Foundation. He is also a Trustee of the Economic Club of New York.
Paul Bremer is the founder and president of the Lincoln/Douglass Scholoarship Foundation, a Washington-based not for profit organization that provides high school scholarships to inner city youths.
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. 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 Deptartment 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.
Bremer is married to the former Frances Winfield, and they have a son and a daughter. In addition to his native English, Bremer speaks Arabic, French, Dutch, Norwegian, Persian, and German.
Administrator of Iraq
Following the removal of Jay Garner as civilian administrator of Iraq, Bremer was appointed as the chief U.S. executive authority in the country. Unlike Garner, Bremer was not a military man, and as a result was expected to bring unique political and diplomatic skills that many had accused Garner and other military leaders of lacking. Though Garner's experience was largely praised, Bremer's appointment was criticized by some human rights groups, who note that while chairing the National Commission on Terrorism, Bremer advocated relaxation of CIA guidelines which restrict working with individuals and groups who have a record of human rights abuses. [1]
As administrator of Iraq, Bremer's job was to oversee the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq until the country was deemed to be in a state in which it can be once again governed by Iraqis. Upon the advice of his subsidiaries, Bremer was empowered to issue decrees to modify Iraq's society and infrastructure. Some notable decrees have included removing all restrictions on freedom of assembly, suspending use of the death penalty, and establishing a Central Criminal Court of Iraq. [2]
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 appointed by Bremer, and were chosen from prominent political, ethnic, and religious leaders who had opposed the government of Saddam Hussein. Though the council was given several important powers (such as the appointment of a cabinet), Bremer retained veto power over their proposals.
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. His senior advisor Dan Senor served as coalition spokesman, working with military spokesman Mark Kimmitt.
On June 28, 2004 at 10:26 AM local time, The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority formally transferred sovereignty of Iraqi territory to the Iraqi interim government, two days ahead of schedule. Bremer departed from the country on the same day.
Trivia
Bremer is known for wearing tan desert combat boots with his suits. According to the London based Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, he had a young (35-year-old) lover during his stay in Iraq. The unnamed woman worked in the presidential protocol office of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein.