IRAQ DECONSTRUCTION AND GEORGE W'S PALACE

How the Bush Administration Deconstructed Iraq
By Michael Schwartz
TomDispatch.com


"The image of the Bush administration in Iraq as a bumbling giant, overwhelmed by the destructive forces within Iraqi society, is a pernicious misrepresentation. A close look at the facts on the ground demonstrates that the American occupation itself has been the primary destructive force in Iraq as well as the direct or ultimate source of the bulk of the violence; that the American military, in its zealous pursuit of the resistance, still generates much destruction; and that American reconstruction efforts have -- through greed, corruption, and incompetence -- only deepened the infrastructural crisis."

"The American presence in Iraq continues to be a force for deconstruction."

"Most of the death, destruction, and disorganization in the country has, at least in its origins, been a direct consequence of U.S. efforts to forcibly institute an economic and social revolution, while using overwhelming force to suppress resistance to this project. Certainly, the insurgency, the ethno-religious jihadists, and the criminal gangs have all contributed to the descent of Iraqi cities and towns into chaos, but their roles have been secondary and in many cases reactive. The engine of deconstruction was -- and remains -- the U.S.-led occupation."


Michael Schwartz, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of the Undergraduate College of Global Studies at Stony Brook University, has written extensively on popular protest and insurgency, and on American business and government dynamics. His work on Iraq has appeared on numerous internet sites, including Tomdispatch, Asia Times, Mother Jones, and ZNet; and in print in Contexts, Against the Current, and Z Magazine. His books include Radical Protest and Social Structure, and Social Policy and the Conservative Agenda (edited, with Clarence Lo). His email address is Ms42@optonline.net.


Here is the construction taking place in Iraq:
It's called George W's Palace.
Price tag: Half Billion Dollars!
Your tax dollars at work.
The biggest embassy on the planet.
It doesn't sound like the U.S. is pulling out of Iraq any time soon.
The war in Iraq wasn't for liberation.
But you know this.
The war was to establish America's influence and presence (NOT PRESENTS!) in Iraq.
Oil was a big reason for the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. But you know this too.
With Iran and Syria nearby, the United States will have a better chance to conquer these other countries when necessary.
And China is not that far away.