The in class reading today about the Iraq Study Group was very effective at getting at some of the current key points in our nation’s foreign issues. There were some new topics brought up in our discussion, such as the connection between Halliburton and Dick Cheney, and also how the U.S. is spending about a billion dollars a day to fight this war. Two [1][2] Halliburton Watch websites that I found really show some corruption and problems that are going on. It is scary to see how the government is handling such a vital process of trying to help Iraq.
The biggest windfall in the invasion of Iraq has most certainly gone to the oil services and logistics company Halliburton . The company, which was formerly run by Vice President Dick Cheney, had revenue of over $8 billion in contracts in Iraq in 2003 alone. And while Halliburton ’s dealings in Iraq have been dogged everywhere by scandal – including now a criminal investigation into overcharging by Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root for gas shipped into Iraq – Vice President Cheney manages to be doing quite well from the deal. He owns $433,000 unexercised Halliburton stock options worth more than $10 million dollars. But Halliburton ’s history of benefiting from government largesse goes back a ways. From 1962 to 1972 the Pentagon paid the company tens of millions of dollars to work in South Vietnam, where they built roads, landing strips, harbors, and military bases from the demilitarized zone to the Mekong Delta.
It was also very interesting to see how expansive the intricacy is with many issues surrounding the war. The Iraq Study Group’s suggestions about dealing with both the external diplomatic situation, as well as with the internal situation show that the Iraq war is more complex than most Americans ever imagined. With the underlying religious aspect, and the deals between nations for troops, and so many more aspects in play, it is very difficult for the United States to just withdraw from Iraq. I agree with the ISG’s recommendation of having the U.S. troops focus more on helping the Iraqi troops get in control and be an effective force. I think that this would be the only way to remove our troops successfully without much further conflict, and without chaos and extreme problems in Iraq. However, the diplomatic and religious conditions are much harder to solve. And as for the dispute between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims, it seems that there will never be a solution that can be employed by an outside force such as the United States.
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