U.S.-Funded Reconstruction Projects Awarded to Iraqis (desperation)

[Barrett808]

In a shift largely made necessary by the continuing violence in Iraq, U.S. officials in charge of reconstruction projects say they are now hiring Iraqi firms to do many of the jobs once performed by Western contractors.

It may have been the anti-Western insurgency in Iraq, which made U.S. officials here realize the capabilities and talent the Iraqis themselves could apply to the country's reconstruction efforts.

The program director for the U.S. government's Projects and Contracting Office in Baghdad, Robert Slockbower, says the violence, which has severely delayed rebuilding the country in the past year, has helped accelerate the recruitment of Iraqi firms to keep reconstruction efforts on track.

"When we started this reconstruction, we had the mind set that it was a permissive environment," he explained. "We also expected that there wasn't going to be much capability with Iraq itself to do reconstruction. As time has gone on, we have found out that there is a greater capacity of the Iraqi people and Iraqi firms to do work."

(more)

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200501/200501020036.html

[asjr]

1. This proves that the administration thought

the Iraqis were a bunch of dummies. I am surprised that when we went into Iraq someone didn't say Me Tarzan, you Jane. It also proves when you invade a country that hasn't done anything to you, you had better know ahead of time what will be needed. The Iraqis are culturally and spiritually better than Shrub could ever aspire to be.

[Spinzonner]

2. Translation

They found out that US contractors were corrupt and incompetent and, surprise, didnt like being shot and blown up.

And that the political lackeys they sent over to manage the reconstruction were only interested in managing their careers in political patronage.

[pop goes the weasel]

3. bastards and bigots

"We also expected that there wasn't going to be much capability with Iraq itself to do reconstruction. As time has gone on, we have found out that there is a greater capacity of the Iraqi people and Iraqi firms to do work."

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stupid combined with evil.

I knew early on in the occupation that the Bushies had ruined US chances in Iraq by awarding contracts to their donors instead of to Iraqis. One of Riverbend's first posts on her blog was a rant about the business people in her family, despite turning in low bids and having tons of education and experience, were passed over in favor of US firms. The Bushies used Iraq as a cash cow for their friends (just as F9/11 showed) and the result is that the one chance the US had to make something good of W's evil intentions was ruined.

And what excuse do they give for their greed? That they are racists! "Gee, we had no idea that Iraqis aren't primitive cave-dwellers. Our bad."

Damn, there aren't enough sticks in this world to smack sense into these idiot Bushies.

[Javaman]

4. 100,000 civilians dead and 1 1/2 years later...

They are just now getting a clue???

It just amazes me just how completely stupid this admin shows itself to be.

So let's see, we bomb them into oblivion, kill thousands of civilians,cause 70% unemployment, fire the police and military, then...

Hire back the military, rehire the police, now they are trying to hire back the same people they were bombing only a week ago.

Brilliant plan folks, piss them off, then dangle the carrot of work in front of them.

I see the brilliant plan they laid out! It's just genius.

We bomb the place back to the stone age, then we hire the same people we bombed to rebuild it, thus removing the high unemployment!!!

genius, simply genius.

Here's a piece of advice for the moron*, how about not bombing and have the people a say in their own future to begin with???? Try that when you bomb Iran or Syria.

God, just a bunch of illiterate goons.

[w4rma]

5. They should have been doing this from the start. I said that this should

have been done AT the start.

Implementing this policy now appears to me to be a sign that they are now desperate, also, since they were so adamant about using foreign (to Iraqis) corporations.