Building an Iraqi Civil Service

The U.S. Agency for International Development is spending $180 million on what it calls a "monumental undertaking" to develop a modern civil service system in Iraq.

Under the program, the Washington Post reports, contractors will help develop a decentralized system in which 3 million employees will deliver services across the country.

AID says the problems with the current system include the fact that "hiring and promotions are not merit-based, but . . . based on political connections," and, to put it delicately, a situation in which there are a large "number of employees requiring skill development."