Secrecy vs. democracy in an increasingly transparent world

Kudos to McClatchy Newspapers for once again, as so often, getting out of the Washington media-power-elite echo chamber and doing some good, solid reporting on the politics inside both Iraq and the US of the Bushists’ doomed attempt to force a longterm (“permanent”) SOFA onto the occupied Iraqis. On this story today, it is Leila Fadel who takes the honors, backed up by Margaret Talev in DC.
Fadel reports from Baghdad that Iraqi lawmakers tell her the US is actually demanding 58 bases in Iraq under the SOFA, for starters. She quotes Jalal al Din al Saghir, a leading lawmaker from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (IISC, formerly SCIRI), as saying of the US proposal,

    The points that were put forth by the Americans were more abominable than the occupation. We were occupied by order of the Security Council [referring to UNSC resolution 1511 of, actually, 2003 not 2004]… But now we are being asked to sign for our own occupation. That is why we have absolutely refused all that we have seen so far.
    …If we had to choose one or the other, an extension of the [UN] mandate or this agreement, we would probably choose the extension. It is possible that in December we will send a letter the UN informing them that Iraq no longer needs foreign forces to control its internal security. As for external defense, we are still not ready.

Then Fadel has this, about Iraq’s (Kurdish) Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari: “Zebari… criticized the lawmakers for poisoning the public discussion before an agreement is concluded.”
So this is what the Bushists’ push for “democratization” in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East has come to? That Bush and his officials are working with Zebari and other close (bought and paid for) allies in Iraq to ram a truly momentous “security agreement” into force without allowing any meaningful oversight from elected legislators in either Baghdad or Washington?
In Washington, McClatchy’s Talev has been on the case. Presumably it was she who contributed the following important reporting:

    Leaders in the U.S. Congress have also demanded a say in the agreement, but the Bush administration says it is planning to make this an executive accord not subject to Senate ratification.
    Republican presidential candidate John McCain didn’t respond for requests for comment but the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, said through a spokesman that he believes the Bush administration must submit the agreement to Congress and that it should make “absolutely clear” that the United States will not maintain permanent bases in Iraq.

No reaction that I’ve seen yet from any US politicians to the news of the security agreement that the Iraqi and Iranian defense ministers signed yesterday in Tehran. (And also, no word on how Iraq’s lawmakers will respond to that one.)

10 thoughts on “Secrecy vs. democracy in an increasingly transparent world”

  1. No reaction that I’ve seen yet from any US politicians to the news of the security agreement that the Iraqi and Iranian defense ministers signed yesterday in Tehran. (And also, no word on how Iraq’s lawmakers will respond to that one.)
    There is a new report now but from American that reported in Iraqi newspapers that US like to talk to Tehran!!
    So its come and go its playing on the fence who can demonstrate theirs muscles in much strong manner and Iraq and Iraqis will all its resources and wealth handled in such away both US and Iran sharing with their Parisian proxy.

  2. Bush administration says it is planning to make this an executive accord not subject to Senate ratification.
    Of course like other things till now can not talk about them BBC Report it’s a “democracy in an increasingly transparent world”

    A US gagging order is preventing discussion of the allegations.
    The order applies to 70 court cases against some of the top US companies.

    While George Bush remains in the White House, it is unlikely the gagging orders will be lifted.
    To date, no major US contractor faces trial for fraud or mismanagement in Iraq.
    The president’s Democrat opponents are keeping up the pressure over war profiteering in Iraq.
    Henry Waxman who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said: “The money that’s gone into waste, fraud and abuse under these contracts is just so outrageous, its egregious.
    “It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history.”

  3. Salah, I was just thinking about the same thing. Some 27 Billion USD (or is it more?)of US taxpayer’s money, has gone missing in Iraq. Some of the biggest US corporations are involved, including of course Cheney’s, there are 70 active lawsuits against those corporations, and the administration has issued a gag order on those lawsuits? This administration has indeed turned out to be the biggest war profiteers in history.

  4. Another drama armored vehicles stolen from US embassy in Baghdad, US official can not find answers on how was stolen from high security site like US embassy in Baghdad?
    بغداد: مخاوف من خرق أمني في السفارة الأميركية إثر اختفاء «مصفحات»
    الخميس, 5 يونيو 2008
    بغداد – عمر الشاهر
    كشفت مصادر مسؤولة في بغداد، في تصريحات خاصة لـ«أوان» أمس، أن موظفي السفارة الأميركية لدى العراق يعيشون اجواء من الحيرة الممزوجة بالخوف، بعد تسجيل نحو 30 عملية سرقة لسيارات يملكها عاملون في السفارة التي تعد اكبر بعثة دبلوماسية أميركية في العالم، وتضم نحو ثلاثة آلاف منتسب، بينما أعرب مسؤول أميركي عن خشيته من استغلال بعض الإرهابيين سيارته المصفحة التي سرقت مؤخرا، في أعمال عنف لأن هذه السيارات تسهل لهم الحركة باعتبارها غير خاضعة للتفتيش في حواجز الأمن العراقية.
    وقالت مصادر عليمة لـ«أوان» ان السفارة الأميركية في بغداد «بدأت باتخاذ اجراءات مشددة على العجلات والسيارات التي تستخدم من قبل العاملين فيها» مشيرة إلى أن الاجرءات المتخذة تهدف إلى «الحد من عمليات السرقة التي تقع بشكل دوري».
    ورفضت الجهات الرسمية في السفارة الأميركية الادلاء بأي تفاصيل بشأن حوادث سرقة السيارات التي تقع فيها، لكن تسريبات صحفية اشارت الى أن المسؤولين الامنيين في السفارة الأميركية اعتبروا حوادث سرقات السيارات المتكررة «خرقا امنيا كبيرا» ولاسيما أنها تقع في المنطقة الخضراء الدولية شديدة التحصين، التي تخضع لاجراءات امنية بالغة التعقيد لأنها تضم المباني الرسمية للحكومة العراقية ومقرات العديد من البعثات الدبلوماسية الغربية.
    وأكد مستشار أميركي يعمل في وزارة الدفاع العراقية تزايد حوادث سرقة السيارات التابعة للحكومة الأميركية في المنطقة الخضراء، موضحا في تصريحات لـ«أوان» ان عدد السيارات التي تمت سرقتها من السفارة الأميركية منذ عام 2007 «بلغ اكثر من 28 سيارة اغلبها من العجلات المصفحة».
    وقال المستشار طالبا عدم الكشف عن هويته «انا شخصيا تعرضت لعملية سرقة طالت عجلتي المصفحة قبل نحو شهر من الآن»، مشيرا الى انه اعتاد ايقاف عجلته في موقف خاص تابع للسفارة، لكنه فوجئ باختفائها من الموقف في احد الايام عندما كان يهم في الخروج من السفارة.وأضاف ان «جهاز السفارة الامني فتح تحقيقا في الحادث، لكنه لم يسفر عن القبض على الجاني او تحديد الجهة التي تستهدف سيارات السفارة الأميركية بالسرقة».
    http://www.awan.com.kw/node/76388

  5. Some 27 Billion USD (or is it more?)of US taxpayer’s money, has gone missing in Iraq.
    The main issues are about Iraqi money that disappeared in 2004. The US money was much more carefully accounted.

  6. Alex, That’s even worse. Not only have the Americans managed to murder and displace much of the population, they have also managed to steal their money. Just how much did Cheney’s firms alone manage to steal? And isn’t the Bush Administration now blocking Iraq’s access to whatever funds they have left that were deposited in US banks?

  8. And isn’t the Bush Administration now blocking Iraq’s access to whatever funds they have left that were deposited in US banks?
    USD50Billions

  9. Alex these billion that vanished by Sheikh Paul BremerIII (Jerry BremerIII) when he was in office for JUST ONE year.
    Imagine if lived like other Sheikhs in the region holding the power and may be we got to Sheikh Jerry BremerVI what you think the vanished number of Trillions will be?

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