Pardon My Politics

The Iraq war was one of the most disastrous foreign policy decisions of the last few decades, and citizens across America and the world have looked on with horror as politicians and power got out of hand. Some of the primary arguments around the real motivations for war surround the rebuilding effort, and the benefits this would bring to US-based contractors and business owners. However, there are a number of reasons why this argument, in particular, is flawed and the Iraq war has actively punished the US economy - in addition the punishment dealt to innocent Iraqis and young Americans in the armed forces. (more…)

The Iraq war has cost us all a great deal. In terms of the taxes, we’ve paid heavily towards invading Iraq needlessly, and we continue to pay towards the ongoing war effort. In terms of the economy, we’ve paid the price thanks to NAFTA and service contract outsourcing. In terms of human lives, we’ve paid the price with our young adults. But from the wreckage of Iraq and the disaster of an invasion that took place initially, the advantages of war have been cast to foreign shores, diverting jobs from the struggling US employment market to the detriment of the economy.

The jobs arising from Iraq and the rebuilding effort could have gone to American families. However, the North American Free Trade Agreement has meant that jobs have been diverted largely to Mexico and Canada, resulting in further damage to the US economy as a result of the campaign in Iraq. (more…)

After the thoughtless campaign in Iraq, the deaths of over 4,000 brave US troops, and countless Iraqi civilians and militants, there was some hope that the reconstruction effort might attract employment to the US economy. After all, we made the mess, so we should help clean up, right? A reconstruction effort is underway, but very few of those contracts to rebuild Iraq have fallen to US contractors, and very few have resulted in new employment opportunities for American citizens.

At a time when the American economy is patchy at best, the fact that jobs continue to be outsourced by the American government as a cost saving device, rather than helping the US economy, is yet another tragedy for the millions of unemployed Americans feeling the pinch in the current economic climate. So who’s to blame? (more…)

Noah Feldman, who helped advise the Iraqis, educates Stephen Colbert about the Iraqi Constitution. Feldman recently authored The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State.

Blood money stains the hands of more than 25% of members of the U.S. House and Senate

Who profits from the Iraq war? More than a quarter of senators and congressmen have invested at least $196 million of their own money in companies doing business with the Department of Defense (DoD) that profit from the death and destruction in Iraq.

According to the latest reports, 151 members of Congress invested close to a quarter-billion in companies that received defense contracts of at least $5 million in 2006. These companies got more than $275.6 billion from the government in 2006, or $755 million per day, according to FedSpending.org, a website of the watchdog group OMBWatch. (more…)