Rebuilding Iraq poses new challenge
COMMENTARY
Josh Deitz

Now that the war with Iraq is largely over, the truly important phase of the invasion will begin. The regime has fallen and it is time for the nation to rebuild and form a government of its own. Unfortunately, things haven’t exactly gotten off to a good start.

The consensus seems to be that Iraq’s cities are in chaos. With no authority present, looting and pillaging have been rampant. What began as civilians repossessing the wealth of the Hussein regime (sacking government buildings and palaces) has turned into an all-out grab for whatever is handy. Iraq’s national museum, home of artifacts dating back to the dawn of civilization, has been picked clean. Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers are apparently standing by and watching the chaos.

Cities across Iraq are struggling to find access to the most basic resources — water, electricity, gasoline and even food. While coalition forces are working to get humanitarian aid to Iraqis, it is an enormous job for the military to carry out.

On the home front, it was recently revealed that a subsidiary of Halliburton (the firm run by Dick Cheney until he became vice president) was awarded a multi-year, $7 billion dollar contract to assess the oil wells in Iraq and put out any fires. The contract was awarded without any competitive bidding and has concerned a number of congressmen. Regardless of the merit of the contract, the way it was awarded and the connection to the vice president are extremely suspicious.

The Bush administration cannot use the rebuilding of Iraq as an excuse to award enormous government contracts to their friends. The contracts need to be given to firms that will carry out the work as efficiently as possible for the lowest price. The last thing the United States needs is to be burdened by pork projects passed off as legitimate expenditures.

One of the loudest complaints coming from the protesters was that the war was being waged to take control of Iraq’s oil. In the current framework, only the United Nations has the authority to make any deals concerning the oil fields. If the United States tries to work around that or tries to exclude French, German or Russian firms from competing for oil contracts, this war will lose all credibility. Unless there is international cooperation in oil development, the United States will have no defense against being called an imperialist.

Whether it be policing, humanitarian aid or economic development, the United States needs allies in rebuilding Iraq. The U.N. peacekeeping forces could be a boon to coalition efforts to calm the chaos in Iraq’s cities. The enormous aid apparatus at the United Nations could provide similar assistance in making sure that the people of Iraq are taken care of during this transition period. Similarly, opening up reconstruction efforts to the rest of the world will ensure that Iraqis get the best deal possible in rebuilding their nation.

If President Bush is honest about wanting to help the Iraqi people, the United States will ask for help from the entire world. Rebuilding Iraq together would help heal the rift between the United States and the dissenting nations and would show that Bush truly did have good intentions in waging this war. Before the war, Bush asked the nations of the world to show their cards. Now it’s time to show ours.

Josh Deitz is a junior political science major from Atlanta.