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asantana said this in post #1 :
sought to strengthen its domination of this strategic region.
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Iraq was just too good an oportunity for the neocons to miss to "strengthen [US] domination of this strategic region." Only the naive and foolish think this has no bearing on the invasion and war.
L. Paul Bremer enacted 100 Orders before leaving Iraq. Here are just a few, and when reading it ask yourself, who these laws are suppossed to benefit? Iraqis, or corporate businesses who were hoping for a gold rush in Iraq.
Order #39
(1) privatization of Iraq's 200 state-owned enterprises;
(2) 100 percent foreign ownership of Iraqi businesses;
(3) "national treatment" of foreign firms;
(4) unrestricted, tax-free remittance of all profits and other funds; and
(5) 40-year ownership licenses. Thus, it allows the U.S. corporations operating in Iraq to own every business, do all of the work, and send all of their money home. Nothing needs to be reinvested locally to service the Iraqi economy, no Iraqi need be hired, no public services need be guaranteed, and workers' rights can easily be ignored. And corporations can take out their investments at any time.
Order #17 grants foreign contractors, including private security firms, full immunity from Iraq 's laws. Even if they do injure a third party by killing someone or causing environmental damage such as dumping toxic chemicals or poisoning drinking water, the injured third party can not turn to the Iraqi legal system, rather, the charges must be brought to U.S. courts under U.S. laws.
Order #49 drops the tax rate on corporations from a high of 40 percent to a flat rate of 15 percent. The income tax rate is also capped at 15 percent.
http://www.alternet.org/story/19293/
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