Better Plan for Rebuilding Iraq

Newswise — The United States has extended credit to Iraq to purchase U.S. goods and services needed for rebuilding the nation. UAB political scientist Nikolaos Zahariadis, Ph.D., argues that the strategy is expensive and less effective than allowing Iraqis to pick the companies they want to hire for rebuilding. "We're propping up Iraq in the short run. The system, however, will likely collapse after the United States leaves and scales down its commitments to Iraq. The chances for Iraq's survival long-term would increase if the United States helped set up Iraqi companies, with Iraqis at the helm, and monitored their progress, in cooperation with the Iraqi government. That would help Iraqis create markets and give Iraq's new government the tools needed to rebuild."