Reconstruction in Lebanon/ US Institute of Peace

[KoKo]

FORUM:
Reconstruction in Lebanon
U.S. Institute of Peace
Jamal Saghir , World Bank
Patricia Karam , U.S. Institute of Peace

C-Span just now has a Panel made up of members of the "US Institute of Peace" which is discussing the aid which Lebanon will receive and how it should be allocated.

The moderator (Patricia Karam) introduced the issues and pointed out that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had pledged reconstruction funds and that the countries meeting in Stockholm would be coming up with their own aid package. The panel was going to address how these funds could be used and the issues that would be a problem in reconstruction.

According to the study group's findings the issues for Lebanon's reconstruction are: disputes over whether Hizbollah should be disarmed and how it could be done if funds were based on compliance the UN Resolution 1559: Disputes over how funding would be used with both Hizbollah and the Lebanese Government wanting to be in control of how the funds were used; Conflict that could occur with those who want privatization of the water, electricity and reconstruction efforts as opposed to those who want to maintain Lebanese control over these resources and the reconstruction; Relief from debt that Lebanon has to pay interest on resulting from the Civil War where they were hoping to rely on revitalized tourist trade to fund the reconstruction which had taken place before the latest bombings; Lebanon's compliance with flat tax and school reform issues that were to be instituted as part of their last reconstruction funding by World Bank which had not been completed before the bombing.

I don't know the "make up" of the "US Institute for Peace" and wonder if it's another NeoCon Think Tank influenced group. The issues raised by the moderator were interesting in that I could see the Globalists/Privatizers already trying to take control over the internal politics of Lebanon. Bring in Halliburton or Bechtel or some Saudi or Kuwaiti fronts for those corrupt companys and that would make Lebanon a shining example of Western Capitalism.



http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp


US Institute of Peace:

The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and democratic transformations, and increase peacebuilding capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide. The Institute does this by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by its direct involvement in peacebuilding efforts around the globe.

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http://www.usip.org/

Putting Lebanon Back Together
Public Event
This event has already taken place.
Audio from this event will be available shortly. Please check back soon.
Date and Time
Thursday, August 31, 2006
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location
U.S. Institute of Peace
2nd Floor Conference Room
1200 17th St, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Although the fate of the UN-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel remains unclear, attention is turning to the daunting task of rebuilding Lebanon after the fighting stops. Over the past month, much of Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and power plants, has been destroyed. Even if the ceasefire holds, the reconstruction effort faces the dual challenge of rebuilding physical infrastructure and repairing a domestic political framework deeply shaken by the conflict. Moreover, the reconstruction effort—like the fighting—will be complicated by competition from outside actors seeking influence in Lebanon.

How should Lebanon be put back together? What are the priorities? Who should lead the effort? What is the Lebanese government planning to do? What role is there for the UN and the West? How can Arab states like Saudi Arabia contribute? What role is Iran seeking?
Speakers

* William J. Garvelink
U.S. Deputy Assistant Administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development
* David Schenker
Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
* Hassan Mneimneh
Columnist for al-Hayat newspaper & Director of Documentation at the Iraq Memory Foundation
* Oussama Safa
General Director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies in Lebanon
* Jamal Saghir, Discussant
Director of Energy and Water at the World Bank
* Patricia Karam, Moderator
Senior Program Officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace

[IntiRaymi]

1. War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.

US Institute of PEACE

[Tom Joad]

2. I just posted elsewhere about this ....

It's members are appointed by Congress and the President (at this time,sitting in for our elected president, is George W. bush).

One Bush's last appointments was a man named Daniel Pipes (he no longer sits on the board, however). One of the most extreme anti-Arab racists outside a Federal Penitentiary. Pipes supported aid to Saddam while he was committing atrocities against Kurds and at war with Iran.
http://tomjoad.org/pipes.htm (a copy of The New Republic article is there... a facsimile)

Daniel Pipes is much more extreme than the average Neo cons

I am not familiar with the folks here. But considering that every US senator supported Israel's war against the people of Lebanon, I doubt they are friends of peace, to say the least.