|
|
|
News Analysis
By
Yasser Alaskary
October 6, 2003
- An
end to the security problem continues to be sought as
Iraqi police are sent to Jordan
for training. Security is proving to be the
biggest challenge post-Saddam since unlike most other
sectors, such as health or education, the security system
needs to be completely destroyed and rebuilt as its function
during Saddam's regime was to provide security for one
man in opposition to an entire nation, whereas now it
must be geared to providing security for the entire population.
- While
more police need to be trained so that the retraining
process is accelerated, it should not be an option to
involve countries such as Jordan who have a terrible human
rights record, and when training in Iraq could be done
at a fraction of the price. Only after there are significant
numbers of new Iraqi police can plans
like Chalabi's, which calls for the US to withdraw
to the outskirts of cities and hand over control to Iraqis,
be considered.
- Bush's
$87 billion has been Okayed
by a Senate committee, with $20 billion going
into the reconstruction of Iraq. However, a new study
suggests $55
billion will be required to complete the job.
Many US companies
are lobbying their government in a bid to win
contracts in Iraq, realising that there's money to be
made. The lack of involvement of the Governing Council
in awarding contracts for reconstruction has meant:
- Few
Iraqi companies are being considered for or winning
contracts although such a step would significantly
reduce costs, making better use of the money available,
and would also strengthen the Iraqi economy
- Several
contracts have been awarded to companies that have
ties to the former regime
- The
Governing Council took Iraq's seat
at the UN, confirming their legitimacy. In
further positive steps:
- Electricity
is getting
better nationwide as pre-war levels are
topped, however Baghdad is still below pre-war levels
as four
US companies go in to try and find a solution.
- Schools
reopened for a new academic year without
Saddam but with a free school bag for each student,
after a massive rebuilding campaign that employed
locals to build hundreds of new desks, chairs and
doors, clean up the schools and fit new windows.
- After
the US agrees with Turkey on a plan to tackle
the PKK using only US troops, Turkey is set
to send
up to 10,000 troops to Iraq to aid the coalition
but sensitivities between Iraqi Kurds and the Turks must
be considered in any such deployment. This comes against
the backdrop of the UN, where wrangling
continues over a resolution.
|
|
|
