Democracy Is Not a Quick Fix Panacea

The people of Iraq are learning that democracy is, in itself, not a quick fix panacea for a nation's ills (especially if there is a culture of corruption and nepotism firmly embedded in that society).

The head of Iraq's parliament has called for new provincial elections within three months, in the wake of anti-government protests across the country. The protests are in response to endemic corruption, a lack of basic services and the unapproachability of the Iraqi government based inside the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is also based.

Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, undoubtedly fearing that he and his associates might be next in the "Jasmine Revolution" has given his cabinet a period of 100 days to shape up or ship out.

As to whether this is merely window dressing, for the benefit of a media headline, only time will tell.

Criminal Behaviour and Blatant Corruption

The Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction report to Congress has found that corruption and waste has cost the US taxpayer an estimated $12BN wrt reconstruction monies "invested" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The report found that "criminal behaviour and blatant corruption" were responsible for much of the waste related to the nearly $200BN spent since 2002 on US reconstruction and other projects in the two countries.

Curveball

In a rather late attempt to shut the stable door, former American secretary of state Colin Powell has called on the CIA and Pentagon to explain how he was given unreliable information which proved key to the US case for invading Iraq.

Source The Telegraph.

Regrets

Donald Rumsfeld in his memoir "Known and Unknown", excerpts of which have been leaked, expresses a regret that he he did not leave office at the time of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. However, he also spends much time blaming all and sundry for the Iraq debacle.

One of targets of his ire, John McCain, retorted:

"Thank God he was relieved of his duties and we put the surge in. Otherwise, we would have had a disastrous defeat in Iraq."

Ironically, Rumsfeld is due to receive the "Defender of The Constitution" Award from the right of centre Political Action Conference.

That doubtless will "amuse" those who have been on the receiving end of his authorisation to use torture.

Round Two - Blair Testifies

Tony Blair is testifying to the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war, his second appearance before Chilcot.

He has stated again that the 9/11 attacks were the root cause of the war.

The British decision to back the invasion of Iraq was based on Blair's belief that Britain had to back whatever the States wanted to do, in order to maintain the so called and over hyped "special relationship".

This if course is a lousy premise for any policy, handing over responsibility for foreign policy to another country is destined to end in disaster.

Blair's Secret Letters

Sir John Chilcot, the restrained and reserved chairman of the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war, almost revealed a hint of anger the other day when he expressed "disappointment" over the fact that he has been forbidden to declassify letters between Blair and Bush written in the period up to the Iraq war.

Seemingly the official excuse, used by the state, for not allowing these documents to be published is that they are deemed to be "private correspondence". Indeed, so private that references to these letters were removed from official records.

Ironically Blair, as part of his attempt to make money from publishing, happily refers to the letters in his book "A Journey".

The Inquiry has quite clearly been "nobbled" from the outset, any conclusion it finally reaches must be regarded with great suspicion.

Goldsmith Disputes Blair

Lord Goldsmith, Tony Blair's former attorney general, has given a written response to a written question posed by the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

On 15 January 2003 Blair told MPs that while a second UN resolution was "preferable", there were circumstances in which it was "not necessary".

The inquiry panel asked Lord Goldsmith if he felt those words were "compatible with the advice you had given him".

Lord Goldsmith replied "no".

Thhe BBC quotes him also saying:

"I was uncomfortable about them and I believe that I discussed my concerns with [then foreign secretary] Jack Straw and my own staff."

Blair To Appear At Chilcot Inquiry

Tony Blair will reappear before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war 21 January.

As to whether this actually achieves anything tangible, apart from providing an opportunity for demonstrators to shout at Blair, remains to be seen.

Chilcot Inquiry Rigged

It appears, according to a leaked cable from Wikileaks, that the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war has been rigged from the outset by the British government.

The leaked cable reveals that the British government secretly promised to limit the scope of the Iraq war inquiry to protect US interests.

Iraq Runs Out Of Money

Despite being an oil wealthy nation, it appears that Iraq has run out of money to pay for widows' benefits, farm crops and other programs for the poor.

Ironically there have been sufficient funds to pay members of the Iraqi parliament $100K each, for meeting four times since the election in March.

Notwithstanding that largess, it seems that the $1BN social care budget for 2010 has been used up.

The question that everyone is asking is, where has that money actually gone?