Were those funny or what?
The June 23 Nation is well worth a close look for many reasons, not the least of which is Naomi Klein's report/commentary on Paul Bremer's regency and his successes in priming the Iraqi markets "for foreign importers to make a killing by eliminating much of the local competition" and having so decimated the Iraqi government that there is no chance of any "unpleasant Iraqi government interference -- in fact, he's made sure there will be no Iraqi government at all while key economic decisions are made. Bremer is Iraq'a one-man IMF..."
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030623&s=klein
Tim Shorrock's lead piece on "Selling Off Iraq: How to "privatize" a country and make millions" isn't available online, yet is a must-read. It goes into detail about the relationships within the US Defense Department and US industry which are collaborating in setting up a new economy in Iraq -- an economy which is less dependent on oil (that's not bad) but which is based not on the needs and capabilities of the Iraqi people but where "global companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald's could come in..." (Michael Bleyzer, "a former Exxon Executive who runs a private equity firm" and an old friend of Rumsfeld's from Princeton). "Congress is watching closely," Shorrock writes, "but it's going to take more than Congressional oversight to insure that Iraqi citizens -- not Rumsfeld and his business and political cronies -- determine Iraq's future.... Now that the fighting's over, corporations may be having their way. But out of the gloom, a new activist agenda may emerge that combines opposition to Bush's foreign policy with earlier, but still relevant, concerns about the social consequences of corporate-led globalization. Perhaps the battle of Baghdad has just begun."
Trade Shows all over the world are reporting a downturn. For the past year or so, the Jacob Javits Center Exhibition Hall in New York (which is vast), has not really been able to attract either the exhibitors or the visitors, because markets in so many areas are down and depressed. As Walter's article points out, the downturn in exhibit numbers usually reflects the market. In the US, airlines are going under and have to reassess, and they are certainly not stocking inventories. And they look ahead a few years. So I doubt it's a case of snubbing the French. And I certainly hope it's not a question of cutting off ones' nose for spite - In the world of business, there's no room for that, particularly among capitalist countries.
Tartarin - so what you're saying is that the Iraqis don't and didn't come into this at all. That what I read in the PNAC - the master plan - was right. That the aim is to establish the US (as defined by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle and Wolfowitz) as dominant, and then take it from there. Eyes straight ahead on the goal. What happens if any of these clowns has a formaidable set-back? Cheney's health intervenes, Rumsfeld goes certifiable? Everything these people do seems to be at the moment, ill-defined, ill-planned, short-sighted. Allowing for nothing outside the plan.
mamaj, I think you have assessed the situation correctly; the whole damn world economy is hurting, and nobody is snubbing anybody. People are almost begging to get more business. I saw an add this past week from Singapore Airlines that was trying to sell 2,000 seats round trip from the US to Singapore for under $300. As you say, most airlines are in big trouble, and they've been cutting back like crazy. c.i.
The economy is scary...
We must not forget that even our most reliably muckraking media is less vigilant than the media outside the US (and particularly in those countries which Bush snubbed on the way to his imperial invasion). If things start to go bad in Iraq (and it looks as though that's exactly what's happening), the journalists will be falling all over themselves to get the most significant pictures, the most thorough and relentless reports. You can't behave as this administration has without having righteous folks on the sidelines just WAITING for you to trip up. For every Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and Cheney on this planet, there are several million Krugmans, all waiting with tape recorders and cameras ready to go...
What are they waiting for? c.i.
The "shock and awe" concept of this administration has failed in more ways than one. They've created such a big mess with everything, I'm not sure there's going to be any solution. c.i.
LHEER, Iraq -- Gathered in tents, Iraqi villagers wailed and recited Islamic verses yesterday to mourn a 70-year-old farmer, three of his sons, and another relative -- civilians they said US forces mistakenly killed in their hunt for Saddam Hussein loyalists.
Although the military gave no comment on the civilian deaths, the shootings fueled growing anger over what Iraqis describe as insensitive American behavior, from soldiers not removing their shoes before entering homes to search for weapons to the intrusion of low-flying helicopters and roaring tanks.
Also yesterday, the US military said it was interrogating 74 people detained in a raid near the northern city of Kirkuk to determine whether they had ties to Al Qaeda. ''Initial indications are that they are Al Qaeda sympathizers,'' a US Army spokesman told Reuters. ''What we're trying to do is validate that through the interrogation process.''
Saad Hashem, an elder in the village of Elheer, about 30 miles north of Baghdad, said US occupiers were turning people against them. ''Before the toppling of Saddam's regime, the Americans said they were coming to liberate Iraq,'' Hashem said. ''We welcomed them. Many innocent people were killed by the Iraqi regime. Now the Americans are killing innocent people.''
He and other villagers said American soldiers shot Ali Jassem and his family early Friday as the men worked in their wheat fields to extinguish fires set by US flares.
Gelisgesti, trailing in here. That post and the links were wonderful. Thanks.
All Hat, No Cattle. Cool.
I keep getting the feeling, and let me be the first to say that I haven't got a single identifiable link or quote to confirm this, but I think part of the problem with the current effort to re-governmentize Iraq is two fold: first, the Americans running the show don't really believe that the Iraqis can govern themselves. The Bushidos, as previously stated by others, have changed the plan a couple of times regarding the INC and are now pushing back the timeline, and my guess is they will attempt to push it back further. Secondly, this is a group of people who have little or no confidence in government run programs accomplishing anything who are trying to get a people who have had nothing but government run programs running their lives for the past thirty years.
The mutually conflictive nature of the experiences of the two groups is mind boggling.
Night now:
Joe
Joe, I think the Iraqi's are a very capable people, and can decide for themselves what kind of government is best for them. The Bush doctrine will not work, and they will experience one failure after the next. Do you remember what this administration said right after the war? They will leave Iraq as soon as "they" establish a new government. For all the supposed bright people advising this administration, it seems they are failing at "everything" they do. c.i.
Joe, I think you are a very charitable person. I do not believe the bush league either knows or cares about another living thing.
Further, I notice that the Brits are getting more open about this. And every time Rumsfeld mentions coalition, I find myself looking over my shoulder to see if I've missed a shadow there.
I am also getting suspicious about these poll reports showing georgie baby in such a position. Those figures always seem to appear at stranegly needed times.
And part of a success in Iraq was supposed to bring glory with a new peace in the mideast. Looks like the road to glory is paved with a lot of broken glass.
And this administration is tippy toeing trying not to get cut up too badly.
c.i.
DUH'byah gave his admin's ultimatum on St. Patrick's Day and my nephew's VERY speical birthday... March 17th (sacred for us Irish)... I will never forgive Duh b'ya for ruining it all. It was my nephew's first day as teenager dammit!!! But as we all know, the Cuisanart went from slice and dice to puree on March 19th! Many lives lost.. for what? Here's a hypotehetical:
GWB: Where's Bin Laden?
CP:
DUH'byah gave his admin's ultimatum on St. Patrick's Day and my nephew's VERY speical birthday... March 17th (sacred for us Irish)... I will never forgive Duh b'ya for ruining it all. It was my nephew's first day as teenager dammit!!! But as we all know, the Cuisanart went from slice and dice to puree on March 19th! Many lives lost.. for what? Here's a hypotehetical:
GWB: Where's Bin Laden?
CP:
Dubya gave his ultimatum (leave Iraq in 48 hours, blah, blah, blah....) to the Hussein family on my family's holiday - St. Patrick's Day and my nephew's VERY special birthday - March 17th (sacred for us Irish). It was my Sean Michael's first day as a teenager dammit!!! I will never forgive Dubya for ruining it.
But as we all know, the world processor went from "slice and dice" to "puree" on March 19, 2003.
At least 3,500 innocent Iraqui citizens have been killed.. more than our loved ones in 9/11. That number DOES NOT include Iraqui soldiers and "Coalition" troops, and as of this writing, the numbers climb all the way around.
Dubya's point of view: "Oh yeah... Iraq has oil! Hey... wait a minute... they are also right smack dab in the middle of the Middle East... heck, that's Arab country! That is SO cool for us. YEE HAR, we can call it the U.S. East! (Halliburton of course will run oil fields). Gosh Dang I'm a hero! At last... control in that third world... I mean that 'wonderful' part of the world"!
Back to reality... Osama Bin Loser was No. 1 on U.S hit list. He after all, was responsible for September 11, 2001 and all the pain and suffering we as US citizens who have loved ones and friends lost on that awful day. Saddam Hussein and his family didn't take them from us. The way I see it, Osama bin Loser didn't want to come out and play with the big boys and their big toys. But hey, we're in the neighborhood and Daddy couldn't finish off Saddam Hussein in Gulf I... SO TAG IRAQ... YOU 'RE IT!
I am disgusted and pissed of with myself for believing our government and watching this "war " play out on a daily basis. We were SO decieved (they lied). Iraqi ties to Osama Bin Loser - None found (i.e., none). Weapons Of Mass Destrution - None found (i.e., maybe they were there a long time ago and the magic genie made them disappear). Iraq has problems - Yes, but not with the US, they invade other countries (they invaded Kuwait in 1991... we invaded them in 2003... I mean, we... DOH!!!). Did we make Iraq's problems worse? Duh! Can we fix it? Ask Rumsfeld... tomorrow, or next week, next month, or maybe sometime after the next two years...
I am leaving the building!
P.S. Born In The USA (Bruce of course) Why do politicians play that intro like its Patriotric? Read the lyrics! It is so against Viet Nam and how BADLY the US treated their own. Maybe I should call Bruce and see if he will do the Iraqui adaption?
