Iraq reconstruction not working, 75 percent of projects have failed

[Jay GW]

Six out of eight Iraqi reconstruction projects hailed as successes by the US government are in fact failures, a US federal investigation has found.

The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (Sigir) examined works including a hospital, a barracks and Baghdad international airport.

Blaming ongoing unrest and spiralling corruption they said most were falling apart within as little as six months. Faulty plumbing and wiring and looting have reportedly worsened the situation.

Corruption amongst Iraqi officials is cited as one of the main causes for the chaos. According to the report $5bn is lost annually to the fraud and abuse which "afflicts virtually every Iraqi ministry", particularly the oil, interior and defence ministries.

Sigir was set up by the US Congress in 2004 after reports of widespread fraud and waste in US reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

It publishes quarterly reports on the situation, most of which have complained about a serious lack of progress despite almost $400 billion having been spent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6607039.stm

[SwiftSloth]

Are we done yet?

[vindex]

as i may have mentioned before, when i first deployed to iraq, we had this ridiculous cultural sensitivity class, where some civilian expert was giong on about how honorable, honest, and decent the iraqi people, and arabs in general were. at the time that notion produced a few chuckles, and in the past few years, iraqis have done next to nothing to work against the stereotypes that arabs are underhanded, deceitful, cowardly and petty. there are always exceptions of course, but i guess many stereotypes exist for a reason.

[Jay GW]

in the past few years, iraqis have done next to nothing to work against the stereotypes that arabs are underhanded, deceitful, cowardly and petty.

Some Americans catch on very fast.
Others catch on very slow.

-

[grimrebuke]

What you are talking about is a perception problem. Some of the things that we do in business other societies would consider underhanded or unethical. The Iraqis have lived by certain cultural rules for generations. They will not change in a single invasion. It doesn't help that there is no motivation for American companies to succeed. They are getting paid a flat mark-up on their costs, so it is in their interest to have the highest costs possible. And their payment is not contingent upon actually getting anything accomplished. Welcome to the Reagan model of government contracting.

[veracity00]

I knew this a long time ago. The reconstruction has been a complete utter failure. Tax money wasted.

[zipper99]

but...what about that "fledgling democracy" that the Iraqi people were yearning for?

I'm sure they will take over the reins and march forward, shoulder to shoulder to deposit cash in their numbered accounts...

[veracity00]

How come our local news stations won't lead their broadcast with a story like this, or feature an investigative report as to where all the money's going for a job not well done? Never in a million years would they even dream of doing something that relevant.

[grimrebuke]

Because they are owned by the same large conglomerates that get billions out of the public coffers.

[GROFF200]

I think it's quite clear that in this war the American and the Iraqi people are going to be completely screwed.
Let's not forget that after every major US engagement some kind of illness befalls many soldiers. I'm sure this conflict will be no different in that regard.

[KanuckiStang]

Iraq Reconstruction...Wolfowitz at the World Bank...Geez, and the right sez the UN is corrupt and incompetent

[veracity00]

Originally Posted by KanuckiStang

Iraq Reconstruction...Wolfowitz at the World Bank...Geez, and the right sez the UN is corrupt and incompetent

Agree. And virtually no Republican congressional oversight for the past 6 yrs.