Naomi Klein has a must-read article in the current Harper's, refuting the common wisdom that Bush and Co. went into Iraq without a plan for reconstruction. She convincingly demonstrates that they most certainly did have a plan, and it was doomed by an odd combination of naivete and cyncism among the Neo-Cons. On one hand, they exhibited an almost touching faith in the Magic of the Marketplace; post-Saddam Iraq was to be a capitalist's paradise, with investors falling over one another to build fast food joints, Wal-Marts, and 7-Elevens. On the other hand, they believed that chaos was their ally; Iraqis would be too concerned with bare subsistence to object much to the market shock treatment. We all know how well that turned out.
The article isn't on-line, but it's well worth $8 at your newsstand. Here is Naomi Klein's website, No Logo.
Posted by Vernam at September 16, 2004 07:27 AM | TrackBack