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Reconstruction of Iraq is the term used for the period following the Invasion Of Iraq in March 2003 . It is used by the Multinational Force s who invaded Iraq as well as various Western Media Outlet s. INTRODUCTION After the government collapsed, the United States and the United Kingdom, with the assistance of several other nations (including Poland , the Czech Republic , Italy , Mongolia , Australia and Japan ) and United Nations authorization, established a provisional authority whose publicly stated goal is to provide for Iraqis' basic needs and help in the creation of a new democratically elected government following the end of the Ba'ath government The multinational forces set up the .''' Some countries have expressed some of the same concerns that the Iraqis themselves have about the country post Saddam: about Iraqi self-determination and ethnic and religious freedoms. Foreign nations have largely focused on the issue of possible American influence, whether sought or unsought, in the future Iraqi governmental process and economy. STATED AIMS During the "transitional period" Iraq is to undergo a , which was usurped by the previous Tyrannical Regime , rejecting Violence and Coercion in all their forms, and particularly when used as instruments of governance, have determined that they shall hereafter remain a Free People governed under the Rule Of Law ." INSTITUTIONS Establishing a Civil Society After years of Dictatorship , Iraq has virtually no Civil Society to serve as a necessary backbone to a democratic process. Any civil society under the Hussein regime was either tightly controlled or eliminated as a threat, or possible threat, to the regime. Some people believe that this part of Nation-building is difficult, but essential; examples of the consequences of failure can be seen in Haiti , Afghanistan , Somalia , and other nations around the world. They believe that lack of a Civil Society generally leads to Anarchy or back to Dictatorship , viewing either as a failure of nation building that could produce a threat to International Security . One effect of Hussein's ethnic and religious favoritism and oppression is that the various religious and ethnic groups in Iraq are extremely distrustful of each other. There is concern that any new Iraqi government will again begin opressing the rights of one group or another in order to gain political advantage. Since the government formed in April 2006, these worries have not panned out and all Iraqi ethnicities are working together in a united way for the good of their country. Government See Also: Politics of Iraq The Iraqi Governing Council consists of 25 member council, and reflects the country's ethnic and religious diversity (see Iraqi Governing Council ). On June 28 , 2004 , Iraqi sovereignty was transferred back into Iraqi hands. A Transitional Parliamentary Election , for an assembly which will draft a new constitution, is slated for January 30 , 2005 . The Interim Government has been recognized by the United Nations , the Arab League and several other countries as being the Sovereign government of Iraq. The immediate post-Saddam governmental authority in Iraq is the Office For Reconstruction And Humanitarian Assistance (OHRA). This body was initially led by U.S. General Jay Garner ; however he was rather quickly replaced by civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer . ORHA shares some authority with the Interim Iraq Governing Council (IIGC), an appointed body. ORHA and the IIGC face many immediate challenges as basic as food, water, and electricity. Iraq is a nation recovering from years of Totalitarian rule, economic sanctions, and several wars, including the 2003 invasion itself. Ba'ath Party/Sunni power While officially secular, the Ba'ath Party was largely made up of Sunni Muslims , while the majority of Iraqis are Shiite . This category is representative of both those formerly high-ranking Sunnis who are seeking to use violence to regain power and the attacks motivated by revenge for the crimes, or perceived crimes, of former members of the Ba'ath Party. SOCIAL SERVICES See Also: Economy of Iraq Paul Bremer , the former civilian administrator in Iraq , sees the Governing Council as paving the road to Democracy and Freedom for the Iraqi people. :"There are a lot of wonderful things that've happened in Iraq since July. We have a Cabinet now; ministers actually are conducting affairs of state. We have met all of our goals in restoring essential services. All the schools and hospitals are open. Electricity is back at prewar levels." {Link without Title} “''We regard Iraq’s success as our own success. We are partners in Building this new Iraq. The PRTs use all of our tools, military and civilian, to get behind the ideas the Iraqis feel are most important to build their national institutions to offer a better hope for the Iraqi people’s economic future''.” --Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in Al-Hillah, Iraq November 20, 2005
Oil & Electric Power One Of The Biggest Challenges Is Restoring The Country's Oil And Electric Power Infrastructure. These sectors were devastated by decades of neglect - and since liberation, terrorists have targeted these areas for destruction. As a result, oil and power production are below pre-war levels. To help increase production, the Coalition is helping Iraqis better maintain their oil refineries, build oil supply and transportation capabilities, improve the capacity to generate power, and better protect their strategic infrastructure. Despite the challenges they face, seven in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve - and their optimism is justified. Economy
Water Although the water supply has reached prewar levels in some provinces, aging and poorly maintained equipment combined with looting and vandalism leaves the drinking water system substandard. 157 wells are being constructed in Arbeel, Kirkuk, Al-Sulaymaniyah and Dhouk governorates, and several dams are being constructed across the country, including in Al-Sulaymaniyah governorate and the Western Desert. According to a U.N. survey taken in 2004, about 54% of Iraq has access to drinking water. {Link without Title} Sewage Untreated waste is polluting the Euphrates River , and many treatment plants require repair. More than 45 pipelines have exploded Garbage The first modern landfill in Iraqi history is currently being developed in southwest Baghdad, with the capacity to handle 2,230 cubic meters of waste per day. USAID is helping to build a second landfill north of Baghdad, which will handle 3,000 cubic yards (2,300 m³) of waste per day. Both landfills will be built to international environmental standards. Schools Almost all schools have reopened -- including all 22 universities. Media See Also: Communications in Iraq Iraqis now enjoy freedom of speech, with the one stipulation that there be no direct attempt to incite insurrection against the new government. This freedom is currently being exercised by the several hundred new newspapers that have sprung up since the fall of Saddam in April 2003 . Television stations, both satellite (Al Fayhaa, etc.) and terrestrial (Al Sharqiya, Alhurra, etc.), and radio stations (Radio Dijla, etc.) broadcast freely, and no longer have their content dictated by the government. On April 3, 2003, Al Jazeera withdrew its journalists from the country, citing unreasonable interference by the Iraqi government ( Al Jazeera ). Jobs Many Iraqis were left jobless by the collapse of the old government and by the war. An estimated 500,000 Iraqis were laid off by the CPA . {Link without Title} An American public works program was created to provide new jobs, and there are projects to attract foreign investment and to encourage local business development. According to the Gulf Daily News, the Iraq Project and Contracting Office employed 80,000 Iraqis each day in the early weeks of August 2004. 100 job sites have opened across Iraq, and 900 more are expected to open in late 2004. MILITARY The arms embargo against Iraq was lifted with the fall of Saddam's government. One newly formed Iraqi battalion is on duty, with 27 scheduled for activation by summer 2004. Eligibility is denied to men over 40 or who served as colonels or generals under Saddam. According to DefenseLink, "As of July 28 , 2004 , Iraqi Army , coastal defense, air, and National Guard forces had received more than 2,500 vehicles, 600 radios, 55,000 weapons and 25,000 pieces of body armor. Interior ministry forces, including Police , border enforcement and facilities protection services, had received more than 6,800 vehicles, 14,000 radios, 101,000 weapons, and nearly 46,000 pieces of body armor. Equipment totals for all forces eventually reach nearly 290,000 weapons, 24,000 vehicles, 75,000 radios, and more than 190,000 pieces of body armor, officials said." ECONOMY AND COMMERCE Iraq's bond market opened in mid-June, 2004. Interest rates are being set by the free market, as opposed to government control, for the first time. The Iraq Stock Exchange also opened in June, and 500 million shares were traded on the first day, which is more shares than the previous stock exchange, the Baghdad Stock Market, had ever traded. As of August, 2004, it has 27 listed companies, with about 100 more due to go public through September and October. THE IRAQI INSURGENCY See Also: Iraqi insurgency There has been violence and instability continually in Iraq since the fall of the Hussein government. Much of this violence has been directed against foreign troops serving in the part of the nation called the " Sunni Triangle "; however there have also been attacks in other parts of the country and against Iraqis seen as assisting the western military forces. The majority of these attacks seem to be by members of the Sunni branch of Islam who were granted special privileges in the Ba'ath Party and may wish to regain a central role in Iraqi politics. However, there have been a number of violent groups at work in Iraq , and it is not immediately clear whether and to what extent the resistance is organized or united. Some forces have resisted the reconstruction efforts notably the Iraqi Insurgency . To maintain these efforts, coalition forces have, among other measures, encircled a number of cities and villages with troops, arrested thousands of Iraqis and killed numerous Insurgents . Fallujah and parts of " Sadr City " have been sites of frequent battles causing destruction of buildings and security concerns that cause reconstruction to be difficult. On repeated days following the invasion suicide bombings similar to those in Israel from 2001-2004 occurred, resulting in heavy injuries and deaths of both US soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Security concerns have analogously increased the cost of reconstruction substantially, leading critics to questions whether progress could be made at all. Elections are scheduled for January of 2005 but were controversial due to lack of needed security, and strong divisions among civilian populations. There have been frequent claims made, by both U.S. government officials and others, that Saddam Hussein had contacts with officials in Al-Qaeda , the organization considered by many to be responsible for the September 11, 2001 Attacks on the United States. This has since been largely rebuked by US and other intelligence sources. Historically Saddam did support Palestinian causes; however, this seems to have largely been in the form financial support for the families of Suicide Bombers . This was part of Hussein's attempts to become a pan-Arab leader. Western military officials also frequently identify Iraqi militants as " Terrorists ," although others may consider them to be Freedom Fighter s. As always, the application and use of this label depends on one's point of view and specific circumstances - defining these terms in a neutral way is difficult. CORRUPTION It has been alleged that large amounts of American tax dollars and seized Iraqi revenues were lost by the often bribed CPA officials in exhange for contracts that were never performed. An article in the NY Times describes "irregularities including millions of reconstruction dollars stuffed casually into footlockers and filing cabinets, an American soldier in the Philippines who gambled away cash belonging to Iraq, and three Iraqis who plunged to their deaths in a rebuilt hospital elevator that had been improperly certified as safe." While the US government has begun the process of prosecuting contractors that stole American tax dollars, the Iraqi government currently has no means of reacquiring Iraqi assets that were stolen by US contractors. This is partially due to a decree passed by the CPA that gives civilian contractors in Iraq immunity from all Iraqi jurisdiction.[http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0416-02.htm There was also much controversy surrounding the granting of no-bid contracts to large American corporations like Halliburton and Bechtel , both of which have made generous donations to President Bush and the Republican Party . Halliburton in particular has been singled out for recieving what is perceived to be government favoritism for doing a shoddy job of rebuilding Iraq's oil infrastructure.[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/world/middleeast/25pipeline.html?incamp=article_popular When the Pentagon's own auditors determined that about $263 million of a Halliburton subsidiary's costs were potentially excessive, the Army still paid the company all but $10.1 million of the disputed costs.[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/international/middleeast/27contract.html?ex=1298696400&en=075a4c9d410f6860&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss] SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL ARTICLES AND REFERENCES
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