Humanitarian Aid to Iraq: What Next?

Now that the war in Iraq has wound down to its inevitable conclusion, it's a good time to take stock of the situation and ask, "What's next?" The coalition now confronts a dizzying array of challenges, ranging from the military to the political to the practical.

One critical issue relates to the flow of humanitarian aid into Iraq. A common thread in recent news reports is the difficulty in getting supplies - including water, sanitation, medicine, and food - to the places where they are needed. As a result, people in Iraq are at risk of thirst, disease, and hunger.

It's not a pretty sight, but unfortunately, it's a pretty common sight in the aftermath of any political conflict. Typically the supply chains responsible for the flow of goods and services into conflict-torn areas are fragile ones. To make them work, it's essential to systematically orchestrate a host of players involved in a plethora of processes. A necessary first step in achieving systemic orchestration is to get players - military, civilian, government, and NGO - on the "same page" regarding the nature of the problem.

The language and tools of the systems thinking framework form an excellent vehicle for getting people on the same page. This month's story uses the language and tools to provide a simple framework for thinking about aid to Iraq (and more generally, about supply chains and/or disaster relief efforts).

The Story of the Month feature came about in response to the unexpected death of our dear friend, mentor, and colleague Donella Meadows in the winter of 2001. Dana was extremely gifted in many areas of life. She was a superb teacher, a gifted writer, and an incisive systems thinker. She had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of those she touched through her writing, her speaking, and her personal interactions.

Like Dana, Barry Richmond was a superb teacher, a gifted writer, and an incisive systems thinker whose impact on the lives he touched was profound. Like Dana, Barry had a rich set of skills to accompany his passion for applying a systems perspective to the pressing issues of our day. Like Dana, Barry's passing was unexpected - leaving a void that will not soon be filled.

The HPS Story of the Month is a tribute to the legacies of Barry and Dana. Each month's story, told using the iThink/STELLA software, applies systems thinking in a practical way to some issue in the headlines. Stories are based on small (1-page) maps or models, in keeping with Barry's and Dana's gift for making points clearly and succinctly.