SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
From: LindyBill4/13/2008 2:05:04 PM
   of 793936
 
All reconstruction politics is local

By Mark Steyn

Clare Lockhart and Joseph Konzelmann write in The Washington Times that 'Iraq needs an ownership surge': The military surge in Iraq has created conditions favorable for long-term stability. Now a new approach to economic reconstruction is needed to sustain the hard-fought military gains. The top-down model of the Iraq government and international donors isn't working: Last year Iraq spent only 4 percent of its $10 billion capital projects budget, according to the U.S. General Accountability Office.

The problem is that Iraq lacks the national-level capacity to spend its money effectively. We propose a new approach -- one predicated on local partnerships. I've been arguing for a highly decentralized approach to Iraq for five years now. One of the big obstacles to that is that the UN and the other transnational nannies are 'top-down' by definition. That's why anything that has the misfortune to attract their attention turns into the geopolitical equivalent of a dysfunctional housing project to be managed in perpetuity (the Palestinian 'refugee camps' celebrating their diamond jubilee under UN management being only the most conspicuous example). In Iraq, what works works locally and then percolates upward. That's true for most functioning societies.
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2025 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News