By DEBORAH GERTZ HUSAR

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq -- A Pleasant Hill farmer working as an agriculture advisor with a provincial reconstruction team in Iraq believes the country will be successful in rebuilding its future, "insha Allah."

The phrase "insha Allah," literally translated as "God willing," peppers conversations Eric Dolbeare has with Iraqis living near Camp Baharia. The philosophy fits a nation struggling with ongoing violence, security issues and rebuilding challenges as U.S. forces begin to withdraw.

"Generally speaking the Iraqi Security Forces are trying to rise to the occasion. Although ISF do not have the professionalism, training and technical capability of our military forces, they are stepping in to fill the void," Dolbeare wrote in his latest update sent to The Quincy Herald-Whig. "Corruption and mixed allegiance hinders their effectiveness, but many are working hard to maintain the peace."

Dolbeare wrote the update, just approved by the U.S. government for distribution, in April as violence escalated again and spring arrived in Fallujah where temperatures began to climb from the low 80s to 117 degrees on Sunday.

Dolbeare headed to Iraq in September to join a reconstruction team already at work in Fallujah and is its only agriculture advisor. He works to help farmers improve infrastructure and adopt modern agriculture practices.

Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad, is part of the Fertile Crescent, the flat and fertile area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Only about six inches of rain fall each year, mostly between November and April, so cropland is watered by flood irrigation requiring a system of canals and drainage ditches.

Dolbeare wanted to do what he could to make a difference in Iraq, but he found his skills as a pilot with the Coast Guard Auxiliary weren't a good fit, nor were civilian jobs available through the U.S. Army.

Working with a PRT, a joint effort of the U.S. State Department and the military, Dolbeare can draw on his experience as a seed salesman and district sales manager for Pioneer Hybrids, in the agricultural chemical industry and on the farm.

In the six months before April, Dolbeare spent time "outside the wire" meeting and talking with local residents. He saw no indication of a widespread desire to return to al-Qaeda rule and open warfare, but "the bad guys are still not easily identifiable making it hard to prevent their attacks," he said. "A key point, however, is that the vast majority of the locals no longer support their activity."

Another key point, Dolbeare said, is beginning to understand the different cultural interpretations of "insha Allah" from the American view of "God helps those who help themselves" to the common Iraqi acceptance that things will happen over which they have no control.

Iraqis also use the term as "a religious version of having good luck" in planning and hoping for something but still believing it may require God's intervention to make it happen, Dolbeare said.

Violence may continue or worsen in the country, and improvised explosive devices "and suicide vests may be part of Iraqi life for several years," Dolbeare said.

"The future of Iraq rests on the shoulders of its people. The Iraqis have a great opportunity in front of them, but they also have a long, rough road to travel as they attempt to build a safe, modern and prosperous nation. I think they will be successful ... insha Allah."

-- dhusar@whig.com/221-3379