Truthout: This Strategy is New?

[marmar]

This Strategy Is New?
By William Fisher
t r u t h o u t | Columnist

Wednesday 03 January 2007

It's encouraging to know that President Bush is taking a hard look at economic initiatives as he prepares to let the nation in on his new strategy for Iraq.

But he faces two huge problems. The first is that he's been here before - and his Coalition Provisional Authority, under the aegis of Viceroy Jerry Bremer, botched this job, as he did most others back in 2003 and 2004.

The second is that, whatever economic development projects Bush may try to put in place, it may just be too late for any of them to be effective.

The Washington Post reports that the initiatives Bush is considering include a short-term work program, a microlending project, and a reappraisal of potentially viable state-owned industries that could be restarted.

Officials told the Post that these kinds of programs are part of a "classic counter-insurgency strategy" that also includes military and political components.

The military piece would presumably include the much-discussed "surge" in US boots on the ground. The political part would be largely out of US control; it would turn on the ability and the will of Iraq's so-called "Unity Government" to take on the armed militias and death squads now wreaking so much death and destruction.

Some administration officials consider the economic package the most important of the three components. But, even if it's not too late, it seems clear that projects of this type will be largely useless without security and political reconciliation. And the al-Maliki government seems paralyzed to confront these realities.

As to the nature of the economic initiatives themselves, there is certainly nothing new or innovative here. These kinds of projects have been used by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) virtually since the agency was founded more than 40 years ago. ....)more)

The complete article is at: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307J.shtml

[acmavm]

1. These boys certainly (beyond finding ways to kill people) are

not innovative thinkers, are they?

[Warpy]

2. He's still yapping about TAX CUTS

Never mind that his reckless tax cuts to the rich and greedy produced the appalling deficits and mounting debt just like they did for St. Reagan, he still thinks he can squeeze more out of China to fatten his rich cronies.

I am eagerly anticipating his veto of a minimum wage hike. It should be all out political warfare when that happens.

[Submariner]

3. micro-lending project = "classic counter-insurgency strategy"....Duh!!!

No shit Dick Tracy, only that carrot-and-stick tactic is used to turn the public against their leader BEFORE you resort to a military invasion that blows up their country's infrastructure and kills over a half million of the Iraqi civilians you're trying to influence. Not AFTER the carnage, and especially during a civil war,....Dumbshit!

I wonder if this idiot has always conducted his life bass ackwards?