CORRUPTION IN IRAQ IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM

Rep. Henry Waxman recently held hearings¹ on the state of corruption in Iraq and the news isn't good. Much of this was made public before but this is a good time for a brief review.
David Walker of the GAO reported that:

U.S. efforts to develop Iraqi ministerial capacity face four key challenges that pose risks to their success and long-term sustainability. These include significant shortages of Iraqi ministry employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct key tasks; sectarian influence over the militia infiltration of some ministries; corruption within the ministries; and poor security conditions that endanger employees and cause skilled workers to leave the country.

STUART BOWEN, SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION reported that:

Corruption within Iraq's government is a significant and serious problem. It's an Iraqi problem, which the government of Iraq has recognized. A recent report submitted by Iraq, pursuant to the requirements of the recently enacted International Compact for Iraq, identified, quote, "high levels of corruption and an immature accountability framework" within the government of Iraq. So it's something that the Iraqi government -- on the record, recently -- has recognized.
[snip]
But the tide of corruption continues to rise, and the problem is as bad today as it's ever been.

Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, commissioner of the Commission on Public Integrity -- CPI -- Republic of Iraq, reported that:

Our work has been noteworthy, but I must report that corruption in Iraq today is rampant across the government -- costing tens of billions of dollars -- and has affected virtually every agency and ministry, including some of most powerful officials in Iraq. Corruption has stopped possible advances by the government on the political level, on economic reconstruction, on basic services, amenities and infrastructure and on the rule of law. Corruption has contributed to the failure of the government of Iraqi (sic) to control the militias that control part of the government in fact.

Corruption has helped fund sectarian militias and violence even from those in the Iraqi military and police, who are supposed to maintain order and protect the Iraqi people. Unfortunately, today in Iraq corruption has infected our biggest source of money. Oil corruption has also infected those who have those who have the (guns ?) to restore law and order and the leadership who promised a new, better Iraq.

The Republicans requested that someone from the wingnut Foundation for the Defense of Democracies be called as a witness and unsurprisingly, she claimed that privatization would solve the corruption problem!

MS. ROSETT: ... My own recommendation actually has been from the beginning, unless it is privatized -- I mean, the way it really should be dealt with is sell it off to private companies and distribute the revenues with the -- the -- whatever is raised by that to the people of Iraq. That would be the -- what that does is it removes from the public domain that endless tempting pot, which I actually think explains a great deal of the war that's going on there right now.
[snip]
As long as there is oil in the public domain, it will be extremely difficult to deal with corruption.

¹Federal News Service
October 4, 2007 Thursday
HEARING OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE; SUBJECT: ASSESSING THE STATE OF IRAQI CORRUPTION; CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE HENRY A. WAXMAN (D-CA) WITNESSES PANEL I: JUDGE RADHI HAMZA AL-RADHI, FORMER HEAD OF THE IRAQI COMMISSION ON PUBLIC INTEGRITY; DAVID WALKER, COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES; STUART BOWEN, SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION; PANEL II: LARRY BUTLER, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR NEAR EAST AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF STATE PANEL III: CLAUDIA ROSETT, JOURNALIST-IN-RESIDENCE, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES;
LOCATION: 2154 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.
LENGTH: 34699 words