Provincial Reconstruction Teams

In an effort to prevent Iraq from sliding further into civil conflict, one of President Bush's most significant initiatives has been to double the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams in order to expand the reach of the fledgling central government.1 Short of sending a large contingent of forces to secure and run a country, which is impractical considering the simultaneous conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, PRTs - small, joint civil-military teams - attempt to fill the post-conflict void in the areas of stability, reconstruction, and governance. Given the current administration's emphasis, some observers wonder if the US government considers PRTs to be a panacea for the ethnic and sectarian struggle in Iraq.