NYT: Give Rebuilding Lower Priority in Future Wars (St. Dept. draft plan)

[DeepModem Mom]

Give Rebuilding Lower Priority in Future Wars
By JOEL BRINKLEY
Published: April 8, 2006

WASHINGTON, April 7 — As factions in the Bush administration continue their bitter infighting over the reconstruction program in Iraq, the State Department has produced a draft planning document saying that after any future conflicts, the United States should not immediately begin a major rebuilding program.

Instead, it says, the first priorities should be to establish a secure, stable environment and begin political reconciliation. Otherwise, officials said, Washington and any local government that is formed are likely to suffer major political repercussions by making promises that cannot be kept.

In Iraq, "We set it up to fail," said Andrew S. Natsios, who was director of the United States Agency for International Development until January. He and some White House and State Department officials say they argued early on that a large-scale reconstruction program could never succeed in a hostile environment.

"We certainly have not done as much as we originally had hoped for," acknowledged James Jeffrey, who is the State Department's senior coordinator for Iraq. Some senior officials say they fear that the failures of the reconstruction program will pose a serious threat for officials of the new Iraqi government, once it is formed. "They will be vulnerable to complaints and hostility for their inability to provide electricity or clean water," one senior official said.

Carlos Pascual, who until recently headed the Office for Reconstruction and Stabilization at the State Department, which prepared the draft plan, said this problem "was in part self-generated — we came in and said we would restore the country, make it whole."...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/washington/08recon.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[democracyindanger]

1. How 'bout "Don't rebuild until you stop blowing stuff up."

Seems like that would go without saying, but I guess some people need it written down for them.

[oblivious]

2. I find the assumption in the headline despicable.

Does any other government on earth talk so openly and confidently about "future wars".

And the fact that they talk about reconstruction means they are talking about more one-sided slaughters, rather than war per se.

Give people power and they are certain to abuse it I guess.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. It's frightening. Are we looking for more wars to fight? nt

[jamesinca]

6. yes they are, Iran

it is in another thread, Seymour Hersh article. They are looking at using nuclear weapons over there. Blow it up and fly away is the Iran plan I guess.

[mom cat]

8. If they can shirk their moral and legal responsibility to rebuild,

just think how many more wars they can start!

[OneBlueSky]

3. we really are living in an "Alice in Wonderland" world of . . .

politics and government . . . right down the ole rabbit hatch . . .

when you step back and look at the absurdity of it all, the mind first boggles, then teeters, then verges on insanity . . .

because if THEY aren't completely insane, then WE must be . . .

[Kailassa]

5. Translation.: -

We're going to keep bombing the hell out of every country that stands up to us
or has something we want.

Iraq was just practice.
We are going to ruin the infrastructures of countries all over the world.

The difference next time will be we won't bother with lies about later rebuilding,
because everyone knows us to well to fall for that crap again.

Of course, once we drop a few nukes on iran and see what revenge they had already planned and set in place beforehand,
there is unlikely to be a future to worry about.

[Zenlitened]

7. But no rebuilding was going to be required in Iraq, remember?

We were going to be "greeted with flowers," stick around "six months, tops," and Iraqi oil was going to flow and flow and flow, bringing in vast wealth while the Iraqi people themselves happily enjoyed their new, out-of-the-box, ready-to-wear democracy.

:eyes:

Neo-cons = idiots AND liars. A dangerous combination.

[truthisfreedom]

9. make no promises... just kill everyone and take all the oil, and leave

permanent military bases everywhere so we can launch attacks on anyone who challenges us.

that's the gist of this administration's "plan." it's what big energy asked for, and it's what their big money bought.

America's fine military turned into the world's biggest nightmare.

[oblivious]

10. Boy, does that ever sum it up.

[bemildred]

11. There ain't nothing less than zero. nt