Little Alex in Wonderland

Of the $9.1bn allocated to the Pentagon for development in Iraq, $8.7bn is not ‘properly accounted for’—$2.6bn for which there are no records at all—according to a audit by the Spc.I.G. for Iraq reconstruction. “The report also said the U.S. military continues to hold at least $34.3 million of the fund, even though it was required to return it to the Iraqi government in December 2007,” Ernesto Londoño reported last week at The Washington Post after stating: “U.S. officials failed to create bank accounts for $8.7 billion in the Development Fund for Iraq, as mandated by the Department of Treasury”.

“Inside Story”, hosted by Mike Hanna at Al Jazeera English, discussed with:

• Mundher Adhami, an analyst on Iraqi affairs;
• Jeremy Carver, a board member of Tranparency International; and
• Scott Lucas, a professor of American Studies at the University of Birmingham and editor of Enduring America.com

Mr. Adhami and Mr. Carver are right—this was no “blunder”, but a “deliberate effort”. Government accounting flaws, especially relating to international affairs, are calculated under-rug sweepings. the blunder is when the rug is lifted. Mr. Lucas added that, “ironically”, the policies to create what the U.S. calling a “free market economy” were antithetical to that of a free market, though still very different from the “State-controlled economy under Saddam Hussein” (24:41):

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