Congratulations to President Bush for his "competent" handling and "management" of post invasion Iraq.
It seems that despite once being a wealthy, technologically advanced country with very respectable reserves of oil, Iraq is now teetering on the brink of returning to the stone age.
Iraq's power grid is on the brink of collapse; because of insurgent sabotage of infrastructure, rising demand, fuel shortages and provinces that are unplugging local power stations from the national grid.
Electricity Ministry spokesman, Aziz al-Shimari, said that power generation nationally is only meeting half the demand, and there had been four nationwide blackouts over the past two days. The shortages are the worst since 2003, after the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
Baghdad power supplies have been sporadic all summer and are down to just a few hours a day, if that. The water supply in the capital has also been severely curtailed by power blackouts and cuts that have affected pumping and filtration stations.
Mission accomplished!
Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts
Monday, August 06, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Iraq Reconsturction Fails
A US federal audit report has condemned the US attempts to reconstruct Iraq as being a total failure.
The reconstruction is so blighted by local corruption and insurgency violence, that most buildings fall into disrepair within six months of being completed.
The 210 page report was prepared by the American Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (Sigir). It concludes that fraud and corruption are so widespread within Iraqi departments, that the Iraqi annual financial loss now exceeds $7BN.
When buildings are completed, they are not being "adequately maintained". Repairmen and workers face intimidation and death threats, making their task all but impossible.
The report noted that at Baghdad Airport the vast majority of electricity generators were not working. At a maternity hospital in Irbil hypodermic needles, bandages and other medical wastes were found to have been thrown in the sewer system's traps and septic tank.
The US Government is trying to lay the blame on Iraqi incompetence, and notes that it could not "micro-manage" how American-funded facilities are run on the ground.
Sigir's last report, in January, said that reconstruction cash was being stolen by corrupt Iraqi officials and often disappearing without proper accounting in a "Wild West" atmosphere.
The State Department report on global terrorism noted that 46% of all terrorism attacks around the world took place in Iraq alone in 2006.
Therefore when President Bush claimed "mission accomplished", some time ago, what exactly was he talking about?
How has the invasion of Iraq made the world a safer place?
The reconstruction is so blighted by local corruption and insurgency violence, that most buildings fall into disrepair within six months of being completed.
The 210 page report was prepared by the American Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (Sigir). It concludes that fraud and corruption are so widespread within Iraqi departments, that the Iraqi annual financial loss now exceeds $7BN.
When buildings are completed, they are not being "adequately maintained". Repairmen and workers face intimidation and death threats, making their task all but impossible.
The report noted that at Baghdad Airport the vast majority of electricity generators were not working. At a maternity hospital in Irbil hypodermic needles, bandages and other medical wastes were found to have been thrown in the sewer system's traps and septic tank.
The US Government is trying to lay the blame on Iraqi incompetence, and notes that it could not "micro-manage" how American-funded facilities are run on the ground.
Sigir's last report, in January, said that reconstruction cash was being stolen by corrupt Iraqi officials and often disappearing without proper accounting in a "Wild West" atmosphere.
The State Department report on global terrorism noted that 46% of all terrorism attacks around the world took place in Iraq alone in 2006.
Therefore when President Bush claimed "mission accomplished", some time ago, what exactly was he talking about?
How has the invasion of Iraq made the world a safer place?
Monday, May 08, 2006
The World's Largest Embassy
Whatever happens in Iraq in the coming months and years, there will be one large scale monument to the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein; namely, the world's largest embassy.
The US is currently constructing a monolith, that dwarfs in size all the other embassies in the world.
Congress has been told that the bill for the embassy has now reached a staggering $592M.
The heavily guarded 42 hectare will have a 15ft thick perimeter wall once it is finished.
It will house around 8000 US staff, and will contain every comfort. There will be residences for the Ambassador and his deputy, six apartments for senior officials, and two huge office blocks for 8,000 staff to work in.
It is also rumoured that it will contain the largest swimming pool in Iraq, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, a cinema, restaurants offering delicacies from US food chains, tennis courts and an American Club for evening functions.
Some cynics suggest that it out "blings" even Saddam Hussein's palaces, in terms of opulence and grandeur.
There are a number of questions that do need to be addressed, in relation to this monument:
1 Why does it need to be so big?
2 Why is it that this will be completed on target, yet other construction projects in Iraq are way off target?
3 Why is it that the electricity, water and other essential utilities for the construction site are on stream, and have not suffered the same cuts and disruptions that ordinary Iraqis suffer everyday with their essential utilities?
4 Why are the construction workers being employed to build this edifice not local Iraqis, but mainly Kuwaitis?
5 Does Washington really feel that this will win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis? Does Washington even care?
The US is currently constructing a monolith, that dwarfs in size all the other embassies in the world.
Congress has been told that the bill for the embassy has now reached a staggering $592M.
The heavily guarded 42 hectare will have a 15ft thick perimeter wall once it is finished.
It will house around 8000 US staff, and will contain every comfort. There will be residences for the Ambassador and his deputy, six apartments for senior officials, and two huge office blocks for 8,000 staff to work in.
It is also rumoured that it will contain the largest swimming pool in Iraq, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, a cinema, restaurants offering delicacies from US food chains, tennis courts and an American Club for evening functions.
Some cynics suggest that it out "blings" even Saddam Hussein's palaces, in terms of opulence and grandeur.
There are a number of questions that do need to be addressed, in relation to this monument:
1 Why does it need to be so big?
2 Why is it that this will be completed on target, yet other construction projects in Iraq are way off target?
3 Why is it that the electricity, water and other essential utilities for the construction site are on stream, and have not suffered the same cuts and disruptions that ordinary Iraqis suffer everyday with their essential utilities?
4 Why are the construction workers being employed to build this edifice not local Iraqis, but mainly Kuwaitis?
5 Does Washington really feel that this will win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis? Does Washington even care?
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Saddam Hussein Alleges He Was Beaten
Saddam Hussein has accused US troops of beating and torturing him whilst he was in jail.
Saddam, whilst speaking at his trial yesterday, claimed that evidence of torture could be seen all over his body.
The prosecution pooh poohed the claims, saying that Saddam was relatively comfortable as his room was comfortable and air-conditioned room. They noted that many people in Baghdad have an unreliable electricity supply, which makes air conditioning the stuff of dreams.
Saddam made his claim after several hours of testimony, which included witnesses who claimed that Saddam's agents had tortured people by ripping off their skin.
One of the witnesses was al-Haidari, who stated that seven of his brothers were executed by Saddam's soldiers and that their bodies have never been found.
He told the court that he, and other residents of his village, were taken to Baghdad and thrown into a prison where people were given electric shocks and regular beatings.
Saddam then took it upon himself to speak, and claimed that he had been tortured and beaten on every part of his body, and that his seven co-defendants had also been beaten.
Quote:
"I would say yes, we were beaten up. We were beaten up by Americans and we were tortured.
Every one of us.
This man when he gets up he has to hold the railing because he was beaten up badly. He was beaten badly with rifle butts on his back".
The Chief Prosecutor, Jaafar al-Mousawi, said that he would investigate the claims; stating that if they were true, Saddam would be transferred to the custody of Iraqi troops.
Christopher Reid of the US embassy in Baghdad said that the claims were bogus.
Quote:
"We heard Barzon al-Tikriti complaining about his treatment and saying the cigarettes I'm getting are terrible and I only get six a day, that kind of a complaint. So nowhere then was anything mentioned about being beaten or whatever.
So I think these are bogus claims, they're designed to ambush the court, and they're designed to really play on or play against some of the testimony that we've had in the case so far".
Sean McCormack, State Department spokesman, said:
"I know of nothing that would substantiate such a claim. He's given to grandstanding in this trial. But where the focus should be is on the testimony of those people who were victimised".
Saddam, whilst speaking at his trial yesterday, claimed that evidence of torture could be seen all over his body.
The prosecution pooh poohed the claims, saying that Saddam was relatively comfortable as his room was comfortable and air-conditioned room. They noted that many people in Baghdad have an unreliable electricity supply, which makes air conditioning the stuff of dreams.
Saddam made his claim after several hours of testimony, which included witnesses who claimed that Saddam's agents had tortured people by ripping off their skin.
One of the witnesses was al-Haidari, who stated that seven of his brothers were executed by Saddam's soldiers and that their bodies have never been found.
He told the court that he, and other residents of his village, were taken to Baghdad and thrown into a prison where people were given electric shocks and regular beatings.
Saddam then took it upon himself to speak, and claimed that he had been tortured and beaten on every part of his body, and that his seven co-defendants had also been beaten.
Quote:
"I would say yes, we were beaten up. We were beaten up by Americans and we were tortured.
Every one of us.
This man when he gets up he has to hold the railing because he was beaten up badly. He was beaten badly with rifle butts on his back".
The Chief Prosecutor, Jaafar al-Mousawi, said that he would investigate the claims; stating that if they were true, Saddam would be transferred to the custody of Iraqi troops.
Christopher Reid of the US embassy in Baghdad said that the claims were bogus.
Quote:
"We heard Barzon al-Tikriti complaining about his treatment and saying the cigarettes I'm getting are terrible and I only get six a day, that kind of a complaint. So nowhere then was anything mentioned about being beaten or whatever.
So I think these are bogus claims, they're designed to ambush the court, and they're designed to really play on or play against some of the testimony that we've had in the case so far".
Sean McCormack, State Department spokesman, said:
"I know of nothing that would substantiate such a claim. He's given to grandstanding in this trial. But where the focus should be is on the testimony of those people who were victimised".
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