Well, here is
Krugman’s opinion about the Bush administration and “nation-building” in
Afghanistan and Iraq: This strikes
a chord with many, I believe, who are tired of national politics being dictated
by those who have bought and sold the politicians, and foreign policy that is
determined by how much money is paid out to persuade allies and others to go
along with us. So much for real
leadership. - KWC
The Martial Plan
By Paul Krugman, NYT, 022103
The Marshall Plan was America's finest hour. After World War I, the victors did what
victors usually do: they demanded reparations from the vanquished. But after
World War II America did something unprecedented: it provided huge amounts of
aid, helping both its allies and its defeated enemies rebuild.
It wasn't selfless
altruism, of course; it was farsighted, enlightened self-interest. America's leaders understood that fostering prosperity,
stability and democracy was as important as building military might in the
struggle against Communism.
But one suspects that our current leaders would have jeered at this exercise in
"nation-building." And
they are certainly following a very different strategy today.
It's not that the Bush administration is always stingy. In fact, right now it is offering
handouts right and left. Most
notably, it has offered the Turkish government $26 billion in grants and loans
if it ignores popular opposition and supports the war.
Some observers also point out that the administration has turned the regular
foreign aid budget into a tool of war diplomacy. Small countries that currently have seats on the U.N.
Security Council have suddenly received favorable treatment for aid requests, in
an obvious attempt to influence their votes. Cynics say that the "coalition of the willing"
President Bush spoke of turns out to be a "coalition of the bought
off" instead.
But it's clear that the generosity will end as soon as Baghdad falls. After all, look at our behavior in
Afghanistan. In the beginning, money was no object; victory over the
Taliban was as much a matter of bribes to warlords as it was of Special Forces
and smart bombs. But President
Bush promised that our interest wouldn't end once the war was won; this time we
wouldn't forget about Afghanistan, we would stay to help rebuild the country
and secure the peace. So how much
money for Afghan reconstruction did the administration put in its 2004 budget?
None. The Bush team forgot about
it. Embarrassed
Congressional staff members had
to write in $300 million to cover the lapse. You can see why the Turks, in addition
to demanding even more money, want guarantees in writing. Administration officials are insulted when the Turks say that
a personal assurance from Mr. Bush isn't enough. But
the Turks know
what happened in Afghanistan,
and they also know that fine
words about support for New York City, the firefighters and so on didn't
translate into actual money once the cameras stopped rolling.
And Iraq will receive the same treatment. On Tuesday Ari Fleischer declared that Iraq could pay for its
own reconstruction — even though experts warn that it may be years before the
country's oil fields are producing at potential. Off the record, some officials have even described Iraqi oil
as the "spoils of war."
So there you have it. This
administration does martial
plans, not Marshall Plans:
billions for offense, not one cent for reconstruction.
Of course, postwar reconstruction in Europe and Japan wasn't just a matter of
money; America can also be proud of the way it built democratic institutions. Alas, the Bush administration's postwar
political plans are even more alarming than its economic nonchalance.
Turkey has reportedly been offered the right to occupy much of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Yes, that's right: as we move to
liberate the Iraqis, our first step may be to deliver people who have been
effectively independent since 1991 into the hands of a hated foreign overlord. Moral clarity!
Meanwhile, outraged Iraqi exiles report that there won't be any equivalent of postwar de-Nazification, in which accomplices of the defeated
regime were purged from public life. Instead the Bush administration intends to preserve most of
the current regime: Saddam Hussein and a few top officials will be replaced
with Americans, but the rest will stay. You don't have to be an Iraq expert to realize that many very
nasty people will therefore remain in power — more moral clarity! — and that
the U.S. will in effect take responsibility for maintaining the rule of the
Sunni minority over the Shiite majority.
If this all sounds incredibly callous and shortsighted, that's because it is. But then what did you expect? This administration doesn't worry about long-term consequences — just look at its fiscal policy. It wants its war; there's not the slightest indication that
it's interested in the boring, expensive task of building a just and lasting
peace.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/21/opinion/21KRUG.html
