The poorly made decisions about elections is one of the reasons that we have this chaotic mess in Iraq. It clearly showed, as in Lebanon and Palestine, that the Bushies have zero regard for 'democracy' when 'democracy' doesn't go their way. This was not a small matter because Iraqis are not stupid.
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"Occupation Forces Halt Elections Throughout Iraq
By William Booth and Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, June 28, 2003; Page A20
SAMARRA, Iraq -- U.S. military commanders have ordered a halt to local elections and self-rule in provincial cities and towns across Iraq, choosing instead to install their own handpicked mayors and administrators, many of whom are former Iraqi military leaders.
The decision to deny Iraqis a direct role in selecting municipal governments is creating anger and resentment among aspiring leaders and ordinary citizens, who say the U.S.-led occupation forces are not making good on their promise to bring greater freedom and democracy to a country dominated for three decades by Saddam Hussein.
The go-slow approach to representative government in at least a dozen provincial cities is especially frustrating to younger, middle-class professionals who say they want to help their communities emerge from postwar chaos and to let, as one put it, "Iraqis make decisions for Iraq."
washingtonpost.com
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Instead of being fired, Wolfowitz was allowed to become the President of the World Bank. The other Neocons are still running around advocating a wider regional war with Iran and Syria. They didn't get their way only because the Iraqis put a halt to their plans.
Where is Chalabi these days? Until quite recently he was Oil Minister with tons of power.
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The point about privatising the oil industry is not an aside simply because it wasn't implemented. The Executive Order, I suspect, still exists although I don't know because it's unclear who the heck is sovereign in Iraq.
The privatisation issue goes to the heart of why we're in Iraq: oil profits for a few on the backs of the US military, the US taxpayer and the Iraqis. This is the major (although not the only) reason we're stuck in this chaotic mess and why we're bleeding $400 billiion with no end in sight.
The Iraqis aren't stupid. The rest of the world isn't stupid. Americans may be stupid, and paying $3/gallon for gas without asking why, but everyone else knows that we're in Iraq for oil. This oily administration has been lying to everyone. We could be headed for $4.50/gallon gas while ExxonMobil is awash in record profits. |
