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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (126629)	3/19/2004 11:40:36 PM
From: Harvey Allen	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

CHRISTIAN PARENTI: Well, I think that one of the main -- if this -- if the US loses this is counterinsurgency war, it will be primarily because it has completely messed up the political and economic side. Militarily, the US has total dominance. In all guerilla wars, the political and economic side is key. That's how the Brits won in Malaysia was by really creating a functioning, legitimate government. That's why the US lost in Vietnam. It could not create a functioning, legitimate puppet government or create meaningful economic reform. So if in five years down the line the resistance has grown, the US is beleaguered, the army is breaking down and about to pull out, a lot of that will have to do with the fact that billions upon billions of dollars had been, literally, given away to these firms that then don't repair the roads, don't repair the sewers, don't repair the water or the electrical systems and telephone systems and in the process don't hire Iraqis to do this and succeed in alienating the population there. democracynow.org

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (126629)	3/20/2004 7:20:57 AM
From: quehubo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Looting was your choice of words I believe. But with Haliburtons well publicized problems in Iraq it remains to be seen how much could reasonably have been prevented with better management. If you have never worked on construction or repair projects in a foreign country you cannot appreciate the environment HAL had to deliver services in. Iraq was the perfect environment for scammers to rip off contractors responsible for executing all the rebuild projects. The priority was returning vital services ASAP, not finding the cheapest solution to every task. I am confidant that HAL and other US contractors are doing their best to manage the Iraqi and US money being spent for Iraq. That any money being mismanaged is insignificant compared the UN sponsored pilfering of the Iraqi oil money that kept the French, Russian, Turk and other countries on Saddam's side. The Iraqi people are free now and will be making their own choices.