In September 2003, after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Stewart signed up to work with the Provisional Authority. After spending time walking through the Middle East, he was intimately familiar with the people and their culture. However, nothing could prepare him for his time in the Amara and Nasiriyah provinces. Once on the ground he encountered a colorful mix of Iraqis, some of whom resented the Westerner's very presence. He also witnessed the many successes and failures of a fragile, fledgling government seemingly being built from teh top down