Father of Money: Buying Peace in Baghdad

In March 2004, Captain Jason Whiteley was appointed the governance officer for Al Dora, one of Baghdad's most violent districts. His job was to establish and oversee a council structure for Iraqis that would allow them to begin governing themselves.The nature of persuading Iraqis to support the coalition quickly progressed from simply granting them privileges to ignore curfews to a more complex relationship defined by illicit dealing, preferential treatment, and a vicious cycle of assassination attempts. In these streets of Al Dora,Whiteley was feared and loved as the man they called Abu Floos–or "Father of Money."

In Father of Money, Whiteley reveals the dark details of his time spent on the streets of Baghdad as a soldier rebuilding the Iraqi political system from the ground-up. He would discover that it would take more than American ideals to complete the task.

Assigned to one of Baghdad's most violent districts, he learned that bribes and blood money – not principles - could govern the distribution of power and possibility of survival. The Iraqi people did not have the patience to withstand daily violence while they waited for a democratic government to crystallize.

Captain Whiteley acted to fill this void by allying himself with the leaders who had the best chance of consolidating power, even if they were former insurgents. Eventually, he became known to Iraqis as the "Father of Money," wielding significant influence, and, ultimately, becoming targeted for assassination.

"This book is neither a war memoir nor a story about Iraq," Whiteley said in a recent interview. "Instead, the book is about the very real, very personal struggle between principle and practice one faces in war."