Do the metrics make the mission?

• Main Author: Like, Anthony W.
• Other Authors: Bruneau, Thomas C.
• Published: Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/10368

Since Saddam Hussein took power in 1979, Iraq was engaged in wars with Iran, Kuwait, and twice with the United States. The years between the wars with the United States, 1991-2003 were characterized by economic sanctions that destroyed the social fabric the wars had missed. In 2003, after major combat operations were complete, the United Nations created the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) to prop up the nation in hopes of returning it to a self-sustaining country capable of managing itself economically and politically. This thesis assesses the success of the UNAMI based on two metrics relating to effectiveness and efficiency. The first metric hinges on stated objectives compared to goals achieved and the second will examine the three primary human development indicators; life expectancy at birth, adult literacy, and GDP per capita. The purpose is to determine if the method by which a project is measured determines its effectiveness and efficiency. After reviewing the UNAMI and applying two measures of effectiveness and efficiency, the assessment is the mission is only partially effective and all aspects are inefficient.