Reply #19: Check out Naomi Klein's articles [View All]

[BushSpeak]

Two excellent articles by Canadian journalist, Naomi Klein, give a complementary view of the Neo-liberal selloff of the Iraqui economy to the multi-national corporations, better known as the "showcase of democracy and free market economics for all the Middle East".

In short, Bremer passed around a hundred "orders" allowing for the neo-liberal takeover of the Iraqui companies. But there were few takers - why?

Because a UN resolution states that an occupying country cannot change the laws of a country it occupies. The multi-nationals were afraid to loose the case in an international court, should there be a regime change in Iraq.

Thus, "full sovereignty" was invented as a transitional phase that would allow the Allawi regime to do the dirty work. JP Morgan got the banking concession. I didn't follow it close enough to get all the juicy details.

Democracy also meant an Inspector General was placed over each Ministry with absolute power for a five period and nearly impossible to replace. And a couple hundred American advisors were brought in to watch over the normal functioning of these Ministeries.

See: Baghdad Year Zero by Naomi Klein
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0924-13.htm

Also check out:

The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein
http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20050502&s=klein