6139008-History-of-Money

• In regard to whether the Iraqis intend to change these U.S. imposed laws, Sinan Shabibi ‚ the governor of Iraq'scentral bank, told an investors services roundtable in Washington recently that the international financial communityneed not fear Bremer's banking laws will be abolished after the hand-over of sovereignty on June 30 because, "It isunreasonable to enact an economic strategy and then abolish it within two month." Thus, U.S. pressure is alreadyclearly being felt in Iraq and on its leaders.2. 100% foreign ownershipAll of Iraq's businesses can be completely owned, run and employed by non-Iraqis. Iraq, like many countries ‚ particularlydeveloping countries ‚ had a ban on foreign ownership (many require partnerships with local companies as well) in orderto ensure local retention of revenue, employment and other financial gains. Order #39 states that Iraq cannot restrictaccess to foreign owners to any sector of the economy except resource extraction.Thus, even Iraq's media could be completely owned by U.S. companies. The first step towards U.S. ownership may havecome with the awarding of a $90 million contract to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) of San Diego,CA, to "restore broadcast media to uncensored operation." According to the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), SAIC will berebuilding Iraq's mass media, including television stations, radio stations and newspapers, in a program called the IraqiMedia Network. However, not much more is known because the Pentagon has steadfastly refused to release any specificinformation about the contract. What little information that has leaked out has come mainly from disgruntled employeesand press freedom advocates, who have alleged military censorship, cronyism and significant mishandling of the work. Injust one example, SAIC used the U.S. government-run Voice of America to patch together nightly news shows made upentirely of dubbed stories from U.S. television network news shows. Concerns over foreign ownership go farther. Iraq ishome to the most extensive river system in the Middle East, including the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Greater andLesser Zab rivers. As Stephen C. Pelletiere, a former CIA senior political analyst on Iraq, wrote in the New York Times,"America could alter the destiny of the Middle East in a way that probably could not be challenged for decades ‚ not solelyby controlling Iraq's oil, but buy controlling its water. Even if America didn't occupy the country, once Mr. Hussein's BaathParty is driven from power, many lucrative opportunities would open up for American companies." The military invasion ofIraq has put Bechtel in the position to become one of these companies.3. National TreatmentOrder #39 states that "A foreign investor shall be entitled to make foreign investments in Iraq on terms no less favorablethan those applicable to an Iraqi investor." National treatment makes it impossible to require that Iraqis be givenpreferential treatment (over foreigners) as investors, owners, contractors or employees. Thus, foreign companies can doall of the reconstruction, own every business, do all of the work and not a single Iraqi need to employed or involved in theprocess whatsoever.This is a particularly troublesome provision given reports of bloated U.S. corporate budgets. For example, Time magazinerecently reported that an American firm was awarded a $15 million contract to build a cement factory in Iraq (using U.S.taxpayer dollars). When the firm was prevented from doing the work, an Iraqi businessman (using Saddam's confiscatedfunds) spent just $80,000 to build the same factory. National treatment is also a powerful tool used by companies tocircumvent domestic regulations on the environment, public health and worker and consumer safety. Virtually everychallenge brought to such laws under the investment chapter of the NAFTA include claims that the government violatednational treatment. For example, national treatment was one of the tools used successfully by the Virginia-based EthylCorporation to force the government of Canada to reverse its ban on the gasoline additive MMT, a ground water pollutantalso believed to be a human carcinogen. Ethyl sued and Canada settled: reversing its ban, paying Ethyl $13 million incompensation for its "trouble," and writing a letter of apology. Given corporate success in challenging such laws inCanada, the United States, and Mexico, it is likely that Iraq's environmental, health, and public interest laws‚or those thatany new government may wish to enact‚will be severely at risk. The impact of this one provision alone is devastating andhas facilitated the Bush Administration's failure to meet its obligations under international law to provide for the basicnecessities of Iraq.Failure to Meet International Obligations to Provide for Iraqi Basic ServicesWaterThe Washington Post tells the story of Al-Ani, a PhD civil engineer with 40 years experience who is one the top experts inwater treatment in Iraq. He is an employee of the General Co. for Water Projects, one of the 200-odd ventures in Iraqthat are owned wholly or in part by the state and have been told they are ineligible for contracts being issued by theoccupation. The company's 187 workers still collect their government salaries but they now spend their days playing videogames, reading books and chitchatting to pass the time. This story is repeated over and over again across Iraq. Qualified,experienced and interested Iraqi engineers and workers sitting idle while U.S. corporations blunder about Iraq at theexpense of Iraqi health and U.S. tax-payer money. Bechtel has the contract that could have gone to General Co. Ratherthan hire or talk to Al-Ani or his numerous colleagues, Bechtel employees spent their first months in Iraq touring thecountry doing an assessment of the water and electrical systems only to discover that the systems were in much worsecondition and more complicated than they had originally assumed. This explains why Bechtel is not living up to theThe Hidden History Of Money & New World Order Usury Secrets Revealed at last! Page 487