We had good reason to suplly electricity in Iraq -- for a while.

Submitted by William A. Wheatley (United States), Mar 17, 2008 at 00:14

We assumed responsibility for electricity in Iraq because so much of the electrical infrastructure -- including power plants -- was destroyed in the war. Some of it, the part that served Iraqi military installations, was destroyed by US bombs and missiles. A large part of it, however, was destroyed on orders of Saddam Hussein in an attempt to make trouble for the advancing US forces. A large part was then destroyed by the Al-Qaeda led insurgency that developed after the war. I do not disagree with our taking responsibility immediately after the war. Providing electricity was seen as a way of returning the streets to normalcy, and that might have worked but for the insurgency, that kept blowing up what we rebuilt, so we would have to rebuild it again. Further, by providing the money and the project control, we created jobs for American contractors.

We had good reason to "supply electricity" to the Iraqis (rebuild infrastructure destroyed in the war) -- for a while. It is now past time for us to turn that job over to the Iraqis. They will use Iraqi contractors, as they should, thereby rebuilding their economy faster than if we were to continue paying for it using American contractors.

--Bill Wheatley

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