Loose cannons

Land of the living dead

"If the US Army and its Iraqi allies are killing as many insurgents as reports indicate they are per month, why is the insurgency intensifying instead of collapsing?" — United Press International, August 8.

Afraid of fighting ghosts?

"Members of the new Iraqi army being trained by US troops in the safe confines of Taji military base, fear setting foot outside." — Reuters, August 8.

Reconstruction

"Iraqi investigators have uncovered widespread fraud and waste in more than [US]$1 billion worth of weapons deals arranged by middlemen who reneged or took huge kickbacks on contracts to arm Iraq's fledgling military... The sole beneficiary on 43 of the 89 contracts was a former currency-exchange operator, Nair Mohamed al Jumaili, whose name doesn't even appear on the contracts. At least $759 million in Iraqi money was deposited into his personal account at a bank in Baghdad, according to the report." — Knight Ridder Newspapers, August 11.

Eschewing ideology

"I am pleased to advise that on 28 July the government — along with counterparts from the United States, Japan, China, India and South Korea — announced the formation of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate ... The partnership represents a new way of approaching global environmental challenges... It is an approach that values results and eschews ideology." — August 11 media statement by Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer. The agreement, presented as an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol, contains no targets or timeline for reduction of gases responsible for global warming.

From Green Left Weekly, August 17, 2005.

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From GLW issue 638