Iraq: U.S. corporations maintain a stranglehold

[G_j]

BUSH'S OTHER IRAQ INVASION

Antonia Juhasz, AlterNet

As Iraqis draft a new constitution, U.S. corporations
maintain a stranglehold on almost every economic issue.

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/24307/

If Iraq's National Assembly meets its deadline, it will release a draft constitution to be voted on by the people in two months. Since February, vital issues have been debated and discussed by the drafting committee: the role of Islamic law, the rights of women, the autonomy of the Kurds and the participation of the minority Sunnis.

But what hasn't been on the table is at least as important to the formation of a new Iraq: the country's economic structure. The Bush administration has succeeded in maintaining a stranglehold on issues such as public versus private ownership of resources, foreign access to Iraqi oil and U.S. control of the reconstruction effort -- all of which are still governed by administration policies put into place immediately after the invasion. The Bush economic agenda favors foreign interests -- American interests -- over Iraqi self-determination.

Over a year ago, orders were put in place by L. Paul Bremer III, then the U.S. administrator of Iraq, that were designed to "transition from a ... centrally planned economy to a market economy" virtually overnight and by U.S. fiat. Those orders were also incorporated into the transitional administrative law -- Iraq's interim constitution -- and the economic restructuring they mandate is well underway.

Laws governing banking, investment, patents, copyrights, business ownership, taxes, the media and trade have all been changed according to U.S. goals, with little real participation from the Iraqi people. (The Transitional Authority Law can be changed, but only with a two-thirds majority vote in the National Assembly, and with the approval of the prime minister, the president and both vice presidents.) The constitutional drafting committee has, in turn, left all of these laws in place.

..more..

[Dynasty_At_Passes]

1. In other words "Bow down to us, and pay respects!"

Of course, they'll never do it. Not even the vice president's own US citizens pay respects to criminals.

[opihimoimoi]

3. Another Reason for LTT, Long Term Turmoil.....O, The Greed.

Very sneaky to put those aspects into place...

but those guys are not stupid....after all, they gave us the ZERO, the Numbers we use, etc including the first CITIES,writing/trade/farms......

[Lerkfish]

2. ah yes, the halliburton choke-chain.

I predicted this to republicans BEFORE we invaded, they denied it as even a possibility.

the purpose of the invasion was to control the infrastructure.

[opihimoimoi]

4. for the SPICE...its all about the last drops of SPICE

[G_j]

10. Naomi Klein has been writing about this (the privatization of Iraq) also

since before the invasion.

[Armstead]

5. Kick

Those lovable old Neo-Cons, snatching victory from defeat.

[marmar]

6. Iraq is going to be about as sovereign a nation...

as Puerto Rico and Guam are. It's going to be a U.S. economic colony with a puppet, allegedly independent government.

:tinfoilhat:

[magellan]

7. Laws, orders, etc., established by the Coalition Provisional Authority

Coalition Provisional Authority Documents -- .pdf format

[G_j]

8. and where are the anti-anti- war Dems on this?

crying foul?


...crickets chirping... :boring:

[Solly Mack]

9. and they'll continue to - even if the troops are pulled out

because the goal was to establish that stranglehold to begin with - and for as long as possible

[Karenina]

15. The Iraqis

will eventually kick their porcine *avaricious ruling class asses out. The only question is how many die before that happens.

[Solly Mack]

16. Yeah, that's what I think too

and I don't think it will be long - though many will die

[G_j]

11. kick

[Pow_Wow]

12. constitutional drafting committee has left all of these laws in place

of course

[peace4all]

13. the ugly truth, n-t

[idlisambar]

14. kick

:kick:

[Strelnikov_]

17. They Hate Us For Our . . .

looting and pillaging.

The GOP has torpedoed the Iraq effort at every turn. Convictions for high treason and summary punishment are called for, along with outlawing of the GOP as an ongoing criminal enterprise.