ARTICLE: Experts Advise Bush Not to Reduce Troops: President Looking Beyond Study Group's Plan, By Michael A. Fletcher and Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post, December 12, 2006; Page A01ARTICLE: To Stem Iraqi Violence, U.S. Aims to Create Jobs, By Josh White and Griff Witte, Washington Post, December 12, 2006; Page A01
You might think the "more bodies" argument from the military experts should hold sway, but instead read the far more stunning article that says our personnel in Iraq are finally going to prioritize job creation like crazy. Be amazed to read about the 200 factories the CPA closed, helping create a 70 percent unemployment rate that fuels the insurgency and sectarian strife today. Listen to Pete Chiarelli, who cracked this code on infrastructure and utilities during his first tour, say that more jobs beats more soldiers right now.
I wrote this so long ago I can't even tell you which book it appeared in: "Jobs are the exit strategy in Iraq."
Flabbergasting to think how little priority this goal has received up to now. Few things describe the crux of our postwar occupation better.
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Comments (1)
From everything that I've read, one of the main reasons why job creation/retention and general maintenance of incomes and livelihoods were not primary objectives from the outset was that the CPA was given as one of its top priorities the privatization of the state-owned sector, where a large fraction of people worked and to put the stripped down assets on the block for sale, including sale to foreigners. This policy was driven by Heritage Foundation-style ideology rather than common sense and predictably resulted not only in huge unemployment but also an understandable feeling that the nation's patrimony was to be given away to foreigners. So White House policy ended up simply fueling the nascent forces of the insurgency, which, of course. AQII quickly took advantage of. By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late (assuming they ever did realize their mistake).
Posted by Jim Tarrant | December 11, 2007 1:18 PM