Reconstruction of Iraq: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

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The stated aim for the Reconstruction of Iraq has been to complete regime change from dictatorship to democracy. This began shortly after US President Bush announced the end of major combat operations in the 2003 Iraq War that forced Saddam Hussein out of power. As of April 2004, according to the Associated Press (AP), conditions for Iraqis were still gradually improving despite widespread distrust of multinational force in Iraq. Some in the international community have expressed frustration of the Pentagon's refusal to award contracts to nations that opposed the war. _[1]

Institutions

Reconstruction of Iraq can be characterized by the following institutions:

• Free and just elections (slated for 2005)
  • Freedom of association
  • The right to vote and to stand for election; Election of officials
  • Universal suffrage (equality before the law ( 2004 Iraq Consdtution; Article 12), guaranteeing the equality of all without regard to "gender, sect, opinion, belief, nationality, religion, or origin")
• Freedom of expression [Free speech] (in the 2004 Iraq Constitution)
• Freedom of Religion (Islam is stated as the state's official religion and is to be considered a source of legislation)
• Equality before the law and due process under the rule of law (2004 Iraq Constitution; right to a "fair, speedy, and open trial" for all accused of crimes; no unlawful arrest or detention; torture and cruel and unusual punishment are banned "under all circumstances")
• An educated populous
  • Access to alternative information sources
• Right to privacy;
• Right to private property

Electricity

AP says that electrical power generation and distribution, curtailed due to combat operations and sabotage, has been restored to above prewar levels. German firm Elbe Maschinenbau has signed an agreement to build three new power plants in Iraq, and three new ones have already been completed in the Anbar region.

Food

The World Food Program says that almost all Iraqis have been receiving enough food since June 2003, since the Coalition took over the oil for food program from the United Nations. The coalition is slated to bow out in June 2004.

Agriculture

Much of the seed needed for the 2004 growing season has been destroyed, spoiled, or consumed as food... resulting in a dire crop forecast, and destined to exacerbate the coming food crisis in Iraq. This, combined with the shortage of water for agricultural irrigation, and for cooking and washing food gives an ominous prospect for the near future. The US is co-leading with the Iraqi interim government a $400 million (US Dollars) effort over the next eight years to plant 160,000 date palm trees, to revitalize a once-thriving Iraqi agricultural export that was seriously diminished under Saddam's rule.

Health Care and Hospitals

Although Iraq, and particularly the city of Baghdad, was once known as having some of the best medical equipment and training in the Middle East, the health care system was severely neglected under Saddam Hussein's rule. In the years after the 1991 Gulf War, life expectancy for Iraqis dropped from 67 years to 59 years, and only $20 million (US Dollars) was spent on Iraqi health care in 2002, about 68 cents per Iraqi citizen. Under the reconstruction of Iraq, the Ministry of Health now has a $1 billion (US Dollars) budget, about $40 per Iraqi citizen. As of mid-2004, all 240 of Iraq's hospitals are up and running, though many still lack medicines. Salaries for doctors and nurses have been greatly increased, and maintenance is being performed on previously-decrepit health care facilities.

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.

Sewage

Untreated waste is polluting the Euphrates River, and many treatment plants require repair.

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 of waste per day. Both landfills will be built to international environmental standards.

Schools

Teachers are earning more than 10 times their prewar salaries, according to AP, and almost all schools have reopened -- including all 22 universities.

Media

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, 2002. 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.

Jobs

Many Iraqis were left jobless by the collapse of the old government and by the war. 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.

Oil

In the wake of significant efforts by Saddam's men to sabotage oil facilities, production still lags behind prewar levels. Repair contracts have been awarded to a Halliburton subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown and Root, which is controversial due to suspicions over its previous ties with US Vice President Dick Cheney. The US "is counting on oil revenues to help pay for reconstruction of the country." (AP) In mid-2004, the Iraqi Oil Ministry announced plans to dig 2,000 new oil wells in 2005, and to build four new oil refineries in central and southern Iraq. Average oil exports from Iraq in July, 2004 are estimated at 1.5 million barrels per day, a number which is expected to rise sharply by the end of 2004.

The United States assembled a 25-member council, subordinate to civilian administrator Paul Bremer to reflect the country's ethnic and religious diversity (see Iraqi Governing Council). On June 28, 2004, Iraqi sovereignty was transferred back into Iraqi hands. Days later, the American Embassy in Baghdad opened, headed by Am. John D. Negroponte. Elections are slated for early 2005.

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."

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.