April 19, 2003 -- The Globe and Mail reported today that a bonanza
of reconstruction and nation-building work is about to roll across
Iraq, and U.S.-based firms with close links to the Pentagon and
State Department are cashing in.
According to the paper, the initial round of contracts totals about
$1 billion. However, other sources have pegged the cash cow at $20
billion a year over several years to rebuild the damage caused by
the a decade of U.S. bombing in the north and south of the country,
followed by a full-on U.S. invasion.
The largest Iraq contract awarded so far is for work on Iraqi infrastructure,
including power, water and sewer systems, a seaport and an airport.
It could reach $680-million over 18 months, although the initial
value is $34.6-million, the Globe and Mail reported. This lucrative
contract went to Bechtel Corp. of San Francisco, a veteran of U.S.-financed
overseas construction projects and a significant donor to U.S. political
parties and candidates.
The Globe and Mail points out that former U.S. cabinet members
who have been employed by Bechtel include secretary of state George
Shultz and defence secretary Caspar Weinberger. In 1983, Mr. Shultz
and current Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sought to persuade
now-deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to let Bechtel build
a pipeline to carry Iraqi oil to the Red Sea.
Another big contract, for personnel recruiting, went without a
competition to International Resources Group of Arlington, Va.
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