Garner, Jay

(1938- )

   Jay Garner was a retired U.S. lieutenant general who was appointed in 2003 as the director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq immediately following the successful U.S. invasion of Iraq. He was then summarily blamed for the initial chaos following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and abruptly removed in favor of Paul Bremer. Given Bremer's failures, however, in time Garner has come to be seen as much more competent than originally believed. Indeed, Garner was probably removed from his position in Iraq because he wanted to hold elections within 90 days and permit former Baathist government workers not implicated in the former government's crimes to participate in the new government.

   Earlier Garner had befriended the Iraqi Kurds when he had helped lead Operation Provide Comfort to deliver food and shelter to them after the first Gulf War in 1991. Some Muslims, however, were suspicious of him because of his close ties with Israel. Iraqi Shiites also felt he did not fairly represent them in postwar Iraq.