US 'botches Iraq, Afghan health'

[cal04]

THE United States has botched efforts to improve public health in Iraq and Afghanistan, missing a chance to gain support in those countries, an independent report said. US reconstruction efforts in Iraq following the 2003 invasion failed to maintain and improve basic sanitation and provide safe drinking water in heavily populated areas, the RAND Corp report said. This may have encouraged anti-American sentiment and sympathy for the insurgency, the non-profit research organisation said.

"Nation-building efforts cannot be successful unless adequate attention is paid to the health of the population," said Seth Jones, a RAND political scientist and a lead author of the report. The health status of those living in the country has a direct impact on a nation's reconstruction and development, and history teaches us it can be a key tool in capturing the goodwill of a nation's residents." US efforts to rebuild the public health and healthcare systems received too few dollars, and the projects that were carried out did too little to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis and Afghans, according to the report.

For example, initial efforts in the critical period immediately after the Iraqi invasion focused on things such as redesigning medical training programs and designing disease-tracking systems, which did not help most Iraqis. About 40 per cent of Baghdad's water and sanitation network has been damaged since the US invasion, and efforts to rebuild the crumbling and ageing system have moved too slowly amid security problems and looting, the report said.

Researchers unfavourably compared health reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan to post-World War Two efforts in Japan and Germany. However, while those countries remained calm under foreign occupation, violence in Iraq and instability in Afghanistan have hindered reconstruction projects.


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18868592-1702,00.html

[rodeodance]

1. the Aussie's do it again

[Up2Late]

8. "the Aussie's do it again???" I'm assuming you are referring to...

the linked article, which goes to "The Australian," a.k.a. "news.com.au" a.k.a. News Corp a.k.a. Rupert Murdock.

Sorry, I don't mean to rant, but this is a pet-peeve of mine. This is a Reuters article: <http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=11896363&src=rss/topNews> that News Corp has stolen.

BTW: Reuters is a British Company.

Why do I say they stole this from Reuters? Because they took every word of the Reuters original article, pasted it into "The Australian," REMOVED THE AUTHORS BY LINE (By Will Dunham}, and then put this on it:

This story is from our news.com.au network Source: Reuters
US 'botches Iraq, Afghan health'
From correspondents in Washington
April 20, 2006

THE United States has botched efforts to improve public health in Iraq and Afghanistan, missing...

Sorry, News Corp just pisses me off.:rant:

Here's the original:

Study faults US health effort in Iraq, Afghanistan

Wed Apr 19, 2006 06:38 PM ET

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has botched efforts to improve public health Iraq and Afghanistan, missing a chance to gain support in those countries, an independent report released on Wednesday said.

U.S. reconstruction efforts in Iraq following the 2003 invasion failed to maintain and improve basic sanitation and provide safe drinking water in heavily populated areas, the RAND Corp. report stated.

This may have encouraged anti-American sentiment and sympathy for the insurgency, the nonprofit research organization said.

"Nation-building efforts cannot be successful unless adequate attention is paid to the health of the population," said Seth Jones, a RAND political scientist and a lead author of the report.

"The health status of those living in the country has a direct impact on a nation's reconstruction and development, and history teaches us it can be a key tool in capturing the goodwill of a nation's residents."

U.S. efforts to rebuild the public health and health care systems received too few dollars, and the projects that were carried out did too little to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis and Afghans, according to the report.

For example, initial efforts in the critical period immediately after the Iraqi invasion focused on things like redesigning medical training programs and designing disease-tracking systems, which did not help most Iraqis.

About 40 percent of Baghdad's water and sanitation network has been damaged since the U.S. invasion, and efforts to rebuild the crumbling and aging system have moved too slowly amid security problems and looting, the report stated.

Researchers unfavorably compared health reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan to post-World War Two efforts in Japan and Germany. However, while those countries remained calm under foreign occupation, violence in Iraq and instability in Afghanistan have hindered reconstruction projects.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. <http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=11896363&src=rss/topNews>

Reuters should sue News Corp for this kind of crap.

Note: I posted the article in full for comparison and longevity purposes under the "Fair Use" rule, which requires the article be posted in full.

[rodeodance]

2. k

[Bush_MUST_Go]

3. Nation building is hard work. It's hard work to be a nation builder.

[Up2Late]

4. And this is coming from the RAND Corp.!!! Aren't they in bed with...

...The NEO-CONS?

Why is Iraq in such chaos? This is why.

[MisterP]

5. you may be thinking of the (Ayn) Rand Institute--that's Objectivist

(proto-neoconservatism with a twist of John Norman. A heavy twist.
RAND Corporation is a U.S. military research and development think-tank thingy ("R&D"-->"R'n'D"-->"RAND")

[Up2Late]

6. Oh, O.K., but still, wasn't RAND one of the think tanks that was...

...very much in favor of the war?

If yes, this is another "flip-flop."

[central scrutinizer]

7. Hey, Iraq and Afghanistan, welcome to the club

Our public health system, which was shitty to begin with, has been further fucked up by Bushco. Nice to see that he is a uniter, not a divider, after all.

[Kiteria]

9. Not a surprise

Why should that be a surprise to anyone? The Republican's have screwed up health care here too, unless you're filthy rich.