• Memories: Looking Back

    November 2, 2011

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in: Democracy, Embassy/State, Iraq

    It is fun to look back sometimes to the things people said a year ago to see how all that has turned out.

    For example, w-a-y back a year ago, Iraq Business News and head cheerleader Joe Biden were so cheerfully upbeat that you could get cavities from all the sugar dripping through the Internet:

    As Joe Biden put it, “Iraq is on the cusp of something remarkable – a stable, self-reliant nation”.

    If the rival factions can piece together a stable cabinet over the next two weeks, and the indications are that they will, then we can look forward to more progress in a country where “everything imaginable needs to be rebuilt”. This could well signal the start of a new phase in Iraq’s development, and Iraq Business News will continue to assist businesses to play their part in that development.

    Though the next paragraph from December 2010 was actually meant to signal the huge business opportunities to come in Iraq, it actually summed up America’s failed reconstruction efforts. After eight years and $63 billion expended:

    “Everything imaginable needs to be rebuilt,” said Leslie M. Schweitzer, senior trade adviser for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, referring to airports, seaports, waterways, railroads, water purification systems and around 2 million to 3 million houses. “The numbers are astronomic.”



    Bonus: Looking for work in Iraq? Follow @ConnectingIraq on Twitter to scope out job offers.

    Anyway, careful what you say comrades, because the Internet is written in ink.



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