Iraq's Missing Billions
The British and American coalition which had overthrown Saddam Hussein was given a very special responsibility by the United Nations. It was given trusteeship of more than 20 billion dollars that belonged to the people of Iraq. Over the next 40 months, it spent almost all of it. Yet, no one can account for where it all went. Literally billion of dollars have gone missing.
In this revealing documentary, Dr. Ali Fadhil, a young Iraqi doctor, sets out to learn what has led to the catastrophic results when money was put into the care of the U.S. led coalition. What emerges is a disturbing tale of corruption and fraud. As word spread of the kind of money that could be made in Iraq, foreign contractors negotiated deals fast and furiously.
There was no oversight of projects. "As trustees, we did a very poor job," admits Frank Willis, a senior member of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). "We should have spent the money on the Iraqi people, rather than putting it in the pockets of foreign business." According to the United States' own figures, Iraq's essential services are worse than before the war, with the country producing less electricity, oil or clean water.
Do something. Gather together to run and elect better people.
@Memo: Get a proxy which uses a different country.
@Chigwalla is wise in that he states not to judge regular Americans by those who are able to manipulate the govt/political/administration system.
However, they have abdicated their responsibility for that govt, claiming there is nothing they can do. That is a huge lie and excuse. If they pull their heads out of their ignorant backsides, they will find they have TIME GREED. Meaning they absolutely refuse to spend 1 second, let alone 1 hour per month gathering together to see to it wise decent honorable incorruptible people are running for all offices from the major political parties, in numbers, so someone decent will be elected and running all of govt. so such corruption won't happen or will be quickly corrected. THAT IS TRULY the fault of the american people.
As for the govt school indoctrinated into "collectivist" mental disorder, that everything "capitalist" is evil ...corruption is where you find it. You find it where people are too lazy and/or fearful to root it out. You will find Collectivist govts to be severely corrupt. To assume anything that isn't capitalism isn't corrupt is absurdly ignorant.
It is sad that the corruption took place. It would take place yet again if another equivalent sum of money were spent because the people who choose the people to run such things are corrupt.
It seems there always were and always will be the corrupt and greedy. The problem is US. We allow it. We enable it by doing nothing.
I want to watch this documentary soo bad. Does anyone know a site where I can watch it?
video provider has blocked it for my region (u.s.a) - Thanks
banned in the uk too, seems people in the usa and uk cant watch it because its our governments that are corrupt Fxxxxxr's so i watched it using opera browser it has a built in VPN.
i would like EVERYBODY to notice the rating for this film is 9.11!coincidence!?!?!?!?
Absolutely ;)
Civil war-
Your also ignoring the many benefits of the French Revolution ( ever heard of the Napoleonic code?).
The French Revolution, huh? Not the American? You prefer Madam Guillotine followed by wars of continental imperialism? Not a war against slavery and untold wealth? Choose carefully.
Slavery wasn't abolished in the US until the civil. Seriously....
After reading the comments, I won't even watch this. Just another chapter in "War is a Racket" A book BTW by Marine Gen. Smedley Butler. (Two cong. med of honor) He knew before WWI that western bankers/industrialists were corrupt and the US military was their Mafia but with submarines and aircraft carriers. Next question.
This is why Cheney and other companies like Blackwater wanted into Iraq!!! Typical pillaging of other countries that has been going on since we became a nation. All in the name of 'Freedom' and 'Democracy'.
the Americans completely gutted Iraq
and ran off with the money
Iraqis were robbed
Bush, Cheney, Bremer & Co are thieving war criminals who belong in jail. or executed by firing squad, even better.
The goal was never to spread democracy or help Iraq. The goal was to "divide and conquer." Steal the land and the oil. That was always the goal. Saddam Hussein was just the excuse to do it...
This is foreign invasion, even from the "greatest" nation in the word and his pet located on an island near Europe: loot and corruption !
When I watched this documentary I'd remembered about the famous Bechtel highway from Romania, a big scam and now they try to loot our natural gas and poison our land and water sending Chevron whit their so called " safe" shale gas extraction technology and our gold from Rosia Montana ( Gabriel Resources).
We love democracy and liberty but not when is brought by drones or UAV-s.
(Good to remember
Sadam Hussain)
Unfortunately the American
and their tail British were given a very special responsibility by the United
Nations under the US pressure, others country in Security Council sit and watch
as s*upid as i*iot. It was given trusteeship of more than 120 billion dollars
that belonged to the people of Iraq. Over the years of occupation, it spent
almost all of it. Yet, no one can account for where it all went. Literally billions
of dollars have gone missing. The result when you put money in hand of such country
US and UK is the catastrophic results what emerges is a disturbing tale of
corruption and fraud.
There was no
oversight of projects. "As trustees, we did a very poor job," admits
Frank Willis, a senior member of the US Provisional Authority (UPA). "We
should have spent the money on the Iraqi people, rather than putting it in the
pockets of foreign business." According to the United States' own figures,
Iraq's essential services are worse than before the war, (Good to remember
Sadam Hussain) with the country producing less electricity, oil or clean
water, or social services and health and education, transportation and on top
of that security and justice which have been missing since the US – UK occupation
of Iraq.
(Good to remember
Sadam Hussain)
Unfortunately the American
and their tail British were given a very special responsibility by the United
Nations under the US pressure, others country in Security Council sit and watch
as s*upid as i*iot. It was given trusteeship of more than 120 billion dollars
that belonged to the people of Iraq. Over the years of occupation, it spent
almost all of it. Yet, no one can account for where it all went. Literally billions
of dollars have gone missing. The result when you put money in hand of such country
US and UK is the catastrophic results what emerges is a disturbing tale of
corruption and fraud.
There was no
oversight of projects. "As trustees, we did a very poor job," admits
Frank Willis, a senior member of the US Provisional Authority (UPA). "We
should have spent the money on the Iraqi people, rather than putting it in the
pockets of foreign business." According to the United States' own figures,
Iraq's essential services are worse than before the war, (Good to remember
Sadam Hussain) with the country producing less electricity, oil or clean
water, or social services and health and education, transportation and on top
of that security and justice which have been missing since the US – UK occupation
of Iraq.
I'am so discussed when I' see the true face of Evil,all those a--holes who profited out of the Iraq crisis they should not call themselves Human Beings,nothing changed and we can see how Imperialism work
this is another type of genocide taking the peoples money and now they pay the high prize for the American and British thief's and let the people of Iraq to live on empty promises ,similar to the Nazis who robbed the whole Europe
It's not missing the Americans and British take them
When the US soldiers raided his house and wrecked it, beat up his relatives, wrecked his car and took him to jail for the night in a case of supposed mistaken identity I would bet that it was a warning by the US government not to investigate them or say anything bad about them in the press.
My country has been corrupted. Never should a president like Bush be put into the white house EVER again. He was a puppet. Most presidents succumb to some BS put forward by their advisors early in their presidency, and it blows up in their face. Kennedy had the bay of pigs for instance. Clinton had some issues. Not every president is like Reagan, and FDR, who walked into their offices and from the first day ruled each and every day with an iron fist for the betterment of the American people. It's an issue my generation is hell bound to fix. If we do not fix it, our nation will falter within the next 20 years. The US Military as a whole does not represent the average citizen. The average us soldier is the soldier out in the field giving candy to kids. That's not what we focus on, nor is it what the Iraqi children will remember about this war, they will remember their doors kicked in, parents killed, siblings killed. I think on some level Obama wanted to do the right thing, and actually spend the money to fix Iraq. We did bomb it after all, it's only fair that we fix it. However, the same party that started the war wouldn't let Obama go in debt for basic things for america here at home, never mind more money for Iraq. I would have taken a dollar a week tax hike to fix Iraq. That would be a couple hundred million dollars a week right there, that Americans probably would have given to help the suffering. Our voices are drowned out. I was 17 years old when Bush started the talk of Iraq. Immediately I wondered "why are we invading Iraq, what have they done do us". I thought the thought many educated Americans at the time thought, We know North Korea has Nuclear weapons, we know Iran is making Nuclear weapons, and we THINK Iraq might be making nuclear weapons.... So we are invading Iraq then eh? What's wrong with this picture. I will admit I did think that maybe Iraq did have WMD's, because Hussein was so adamant in convincing the world he did. He was feigning to keep Iran from attacking, and he thought was bluffing. It was said best in this video, we screwed up, and there's no going back. I am ashamed we have left these people in this situation.
Reagan was a fall down like the rest of them, he sold the country out big time. Even his lead economic advisor during his Presidency later said that his policies were disastrous to the country over time.
A really simplistic look at the overall issue.
Let me ask you a question:
How well would something be built if there was a high risk of attack, intimidation, kidnapping ect? We all know people seen working for the "government" in Iraq, be it building schools or military bases, were targets....do you think that made it easier to find qualified work?
Of course not, no one in their right mind would.
So...you get poor quality work, because the skilled workers are not going to risk their life to help occupiers build stuff.
Oh and im sure round the clock security for the rebuilding, as well as lost goods via roadside bombs ect....certainly raised the cost.
So yeah...its super easy to say "they had X amount of money and look what we got" and then say they stole the money..
But you have to be pretty damn blind to not know the major challenges those who chose to rebuild faced. You think anything built in a warzone, faced with the stigma of helping occupiers, which had real ramifications in Iraq, would have been cheap and high quality?
Don't get me wrong we shouldn't have been there, but you've got to be stoned to think it was as simple as "coalition stole"
The problems with docs like this are simple. Once you view the situation with the harshly critical eye that it was never about improving Iraqi lives, individual 'experts' and 'projects' become obvious and utterly irrelevant.
The rest of the world opted to stay out of that mess because they saw beyond the obvious short term profit-taking.
I live in Canada and deal with Americans all the time through my business. Individually, they are some of the most community-minded and generous people I've ever met.
Collectively however, it's a different story and I think that has more to do with the fact, in the US (and in my own beloved homeland of late) the voices of the electorate have been drowned out by those in a position to manipulate the electoral process.
The US (and Canada) rank among the LEAST 'free' nations on the planet.
It's extremely important that foreign viewers of this NOT paint 'Americans' in a bad light, rather that individuals like the Cheney/Rumsfeld/Bush cabal be sanctioned for their behaviour (which will never happen).
Please keep in mind while watching this doc that it does NOT represent rank-and-file citizens who have essentially been excluded from the democratic process.
Just yesterday in my own beloved-but-disappearing Canada, our pretend leader suspended the duly elected democratic process for the third time since 2006 in order to avoid being called to account his own incompetence, and looting of the resources belonging to the people of what was once a great nation, proud and free.
Corrupt world, firstly their earn a profit by selling weapons which you use to kill each other and destroy your own infrastructure, then their came in with their companies to take more money through rebuilding.
When we as Americans realize who the real devils are, that this country and it's so called founding fathers (Matthew 23:9) made their pact with satan. Then will the fulfilling of the scriptures be complete.
Bringing to mind the story of KING DAVID, when YHWH THE GREAT! or GOD as the ignorant know him as only, sent the prophet Nathan to DAVID. For he had with violence taken away a humble man's wife and afterwards had the man killed.
Nathan told the KING, the story of how there was a man with plenty that took away from another what little he had. DAVID, as an evangelical patriot would do today in self righteous indignation, said where is this wicked man. I'll punish him severely.
And Nathan GOD's prophet delivering the message of the JUST GOD said, "THOU ART THE MAN"!
2nd Samuel 11th & 12th chapters
AND KING CHRIST WILL AS HIS FATHER THE GREAT GOD has said and is saying to AMERICA. "THOU ART THE NATION"!
i just have one word for everyone that posted "OCCUPY"
sad to see little Iraqi children suffering cos of american greed and incompetence
us and uk the last world power its acting like one book of revelation
This sounds like History repeating itself, the only difference is, it’s just under 3 centuries later and Britain has herself a friend with her, also the victim is only one Country not the entire Middle East. I am speaking of course of the English Colonialism of 1744 when Britain plundered and pillaged itself across the entire Middle East and stayed there right up into the 20th Centaury. The loss of all this money does not surprise me in the least; it’s a pity that the people of Iraq had to endure it once again. What a disgrace, I’m with the Canadian poster, l’m glad my Country had no part in that, yet wish there was something we could have done, fancy ripping off one of the oldest places on Earth, very sad state of affairs, very sad indeed.
Heat breaking.
As a Canadian im glad we had not part in that, but I am sorry we could not help the children.
When the results of a program can easily be predicted, and those are the results we see happen, then we should conclude that this was a planned event, not an accidental outcome.
I hope that this entire post can get on here it is just one part of a longer article found on the James Petras Website and excellent source for critical analysis.
Ten historic transformations dominate the agenda of the technocratic dictatorships and their colonial mentors.
1) Massive shifts in budgetary allocations from welfare to bond and bank payments.
2) Large scale changes in income policies from wages to profits, interest payments and rents.
3) Highly regressive tax policies, increasing consumer (VAT) and wage taxes and lowering taxes on bondholders and investors.
4) Eliminating employment security (“labor flexibility”), increasing the reserve army of unemployed to lower wages, intensifying the exploitation of employed labor (“higher productivity”).
5) Rewriting labor codes, undermining the balance of power between organized labor and capital .Wages, working conditions and health issues are taken out of the hands of rank and file unionists and put in the hands of technocratic “corporate commissions”.
6) The dismantling of a half century of public enterprises and institutions and privatizing telecommunications, energy, health, education and pension funds. Trillion dollar privatizations are windfall profits on a world historic scale. Private monopolies replace public and provide fewer jobs and services without adding any new productive capacity.
7) The economic axis shifts from production and services for mass consumption in the domestic market, to exports of specialized goods and services to overseas markets. This new dynamic requires lower wages to “compete” internationally but shrinks the domestic market. The new strategy translates into an increase in hard currency earnings from exports to pay the debt to the bondholders but results in greater misery and unemployment for domestic labor. Under the technocratic “model”, prosperity accrues to vulture investors buying lucrative but financially strapped local producers and real estate on the cheap.
8) The technocratic dictatorship by design and policy aims at a ‘bipolar class structure’ in which the bulk of the skilled workers and the middle class is impoverished and suffers downward mobility while enriching a strata of local bondholders and business owners who cash in on interest payments and the low cost of labor.
9) Deregulation of capital, privatization and the centrality of financial capital leads to greater colonial (foreign) ownership of land, banks, strategic economic sectors and ‘social’ services. National sovereignty is replaced by imperial sovereignty in the economy as well as politics.
10) The unified power of colonial technocrats and imperial bondholders dictating policy concentrates power in a non-elected power elite. They rule with a narrow social base and no popular legitimacy. They are politically vulnerable, therefore, constantly dependent on economic threats or physical force.
This should be sent to every US Voter. Mitt Ronmey is exactly this type of rapacious financial freebooter. I wonder how this fits with his supposed religeous beliefs? Needless to say, the Mormaons are wackyier than a $3 Bill. A spurious cult if there ever was one.
We need a revolution, the 1% must be removed from power and capitalism replaced with a new system based on solidarity and compassion rather than greed vanity and fear.
Until their is a real Revolution to take these traitor scums out of power not one thing is going to change for the better.This government has been operating as a rogue criminal empire for many years now and they have no intention of changing that.The next criminal to occupy the oval office will be a carefully selected criminal just like the last one and the one before,and before and before!AmeriKa has become a police state and the governor's and the sheriffs have allowed this to happen by grants from the feds and the new toys and power that they have been granted to control us.Just look at how many sheriffs are now working ,Kissing the asses of DHS right now! If the show fit wear it gentlemen,and the jack boot is on your foot! The same goes for the Pentagon where traitors are only interested in war ,Military Industrial Complex,and their precious careers!
Where did the money go? The same place it went in the economic collapse of 2008! People should be asking themselves why Greece was prevented from having a referendum regarding austerity measures,(democracy) and how much bad debt they incurred from deriviative sub prime mortgages from the U.S. When all is said and done, gloabal economics is a giant pyramid scheme where anyone who doesnn't fall in line is villianized and taken out, now with the help of the United Nations, the world bank, and the international monetary fund. By the way, when the UI.N approved the second Iraq war, Iraq was in violation of 21 U.N resolutions. At the same time, Israel was in violation of 64. So why weren't they held to account? Oh, I forgot, they don't have the 3rd largest oil reserves on the planet. Considering Saddam Hussein was attempting to deal oil without U.S dollars(all oil negotiated in U.S currency globally), is anyone surprised that 23 billion dollars of Iraqi money was frozen, and used to help bring Saddam down? The irony is 48 years ago JFK was going to dismantle the federal reserve(privately owned), and we know how that story ended. There is no democracy, and no nationalism, only the wealthy few subjugating and exploiting the masses into slavery. The new world order no longer needs to implant everyone with an RFID chip because everyone has been programmed to love their chains.(cell phones, blackberry, etc) None are more helplessly enslaved then those who actually believe they are free. Any Questions?
noa/u/i/billions are far more interesting/far more powerful than u imagine - u are an Anonymous - we number in the billions - we do not require violence, our status and technical skills provide that - think it through and visit OWS if near Manhattan. Puppet time and acceptance of large tear gas clouds are over. Those relying on social engineering are failing again as they miss the real dual power which is coming to be.
Vox Populi.Vox Anonymous.
We are legion. We are the 99%.
We do not forgive. We do not forget.
Wall Street: Expect Us
HERE AGAIN I SAY, YOUR COMMENTS ARE FAR MORE INTERESTING THAN THE DOCUMENTARY... BUT I WILL SAY THIS, I/WE ARE VERY, VERY SMALL IN THIS PICTURE... IT'S A SAD AND AT TIMES ANGERING REALITY ABOUT WHAT GOES ON IN THE WORLD. BUT WHAT CAN YOU/WE DO? VOTE? FOR WHO? FIGHT? FIGHT WHO? PROTEST? WHERE? THIS IS NOT A NEW EPIDEMIC. THIS TYPE OF THEFT, KILLING, AND GREED HAS BEEN GOING ON LONG BEFORE US/ME. AND IT WILL BE THE SAME LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE... SO WHAT I DO AFTER WATCHING A DOCUMENTARY LIKE THIS IS, I GO TO YOUTUBE AND WATCH SOME STAND UP COMEDY AND GET MY LAUGH ON... IF I THOUGHT FOR ONE MINUTE I COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE, I WOULD.... BUT I CAN'T... SO, TIME TO CHANGE THE CHANNEL....
mark stouffer, take your medicine and kiss merdocktk ass, he's where your getting your degenarate education from. the rest of us have not forgotten the entire mess fell on bush's watch. do you honestly believe obama got us into iraq and left us trillians in debt. well i got a bridge i want to sell you but it looks like you already bought one.
That just sucks hard. First kill your own people and blame it on someone else, (9/11, London underground) then make up a doom-filled story about scary weapons, (We already know who's got those, right guys?) then kill them with scary weapons from the sky while targeting vital infrastructure, then move in and sell off everything, then contract your own people to repair the mess you made and give them immunity from stealing and use Iraqi money to pay them, then spend what's left and leave them to run up big debts with your granddaddy's bank. One day history will record the facts and the truth will be laid bare. Those responsible will have an accounting. (And hopefully some will die horrible deaths.)
So I have a proposal. Lets assume Iraq posed a real threat. Lets also assume the allied forces are not stupid or inept.
Governments around the world operate on following demographics of their own population. All would know the power any country with a young demographic. All allied nations have an aging population and all nations being demonized have exclusively very young populations.
Basic infrastructure was deliberately bombed during the war. It was well documented that no terrorist group existed in Iraq. Due to the involvement of allied forces more than 1 million died in Iraq of which 60% were young children. There is no intent to remove forces out of Iraq.
Its about removing a future threat that the middle east would be. Its about invading and killing children and all the coalition knows this.
where were the idiot teabaggers bleating about fiscal conservatism when this lot was going down?
Oh, that's right, they didn't give a s*** because their chimp was in the whitehouse..
Where was Obama, Pelosi, Frank? Oh yeah, they were predatory lending.
Yeah.. the financial crisis was Obamas fault. He wrecked the economy singlehandedly during his first week in office.
Of course someone mentions the "Bush started it" theory. Who cares!?! Obama continued it. Obama caught Bush's TARP long-bomb and ran it in for a touchdown. Why was it the only Bush policy the Democrats liked was "spend a trillion dollars". But they didn't just like it. Bush was the Democrats hero for his last months in office. He didn't fool the Republicans, but the Democrats LOVED him. "Spend a trillion dollars!?! Where do I sign?!?!"
@ Robert Foss
Robert, I could not agree with you more.
The one-sided criticism of Obama is disgusting. Regardless what one may think of the President, regardless how one may have voted, the claims made against him concerning the crisis he faced upon taking office, fly in the face of all logic.
These criticisms are nothing but cat-calling. They are indefensible. But then they are not meant to be defensible. They are meant to be what they are: smear tactics.
I criticize this administration for may things. But the very idea(as you so rightly point out) that the administration should be held responsible for eight years of Bush-Cheney policies, is not only ludicrous, it is defamatory, dishonest, and could only be presented as true by someone possessed of zero self-respect(and, yes, Mark Stouffer, I do refer to YOU).
He could have turned the Justice department loose on them so what if the banks failed set up a public bank and print your own money instead of borrowing it from the banks. Stop big oil build high speed rail invest in solar wind GET HONEST! Obama stated that the banks didn't do anything illegal a month ago this month he is saying we cant' have these illegalities going on. Remember savings and loans? Google william black he will tell you what should have been done. Look up North Dakota's banking system and get the hell out of the Middle East. Stop being an Empire end your imperialist adventures-bcome a Nation again. Stop the one sided support of Israel. Educate your people and public health care single payer. Just a few of the top of my head things that were possible he did the worst things possible.
RR
u posted 9 months ago but.. what exactly do u mean about look up the nd banking system, are you saying that in reference to corruption or as a prospective alternative to oil in the middle east via natural gas?
"One-sided criticism"? F-
the elite familys ransack your beautiful country ,dont even have to explain where the money really goes... threaten the democrats with MARSHALL LAW if did they dont sign.. and americans blame OBAMA .. the only president having the embaressment of having to produce his birth cert! because of thick as a fat plank idiots. just remember when your country goes tits up because of endtime fanatics in power [bilderberg-bushs-rockefelles e.t.c] deludedly thinking their paving the way for a second coming.. they`ll be in their underground bases!
"Freedom" never looked so Foul.
@physiotherapist: Pray in one hand... praying doesn't get the Iraqi people their money back, shut up with your religious bull and let the adults speak.
Whenever you are making a purchase, just avoid American products. That will help save the world.
20billion was stolen and they are going to make a big deal. they estimate 100billion a YEAR is stolen from medicare. on september 10 2001 good donny rumsfeld announced 2.5 trillion was unaccounted for by the DOD the previous fiscal year. you know whats going to be the biggest robery in history will be the US refusing to repay its foreign debts. 20billion is a piss in the bucket.
20 billion was NOT a "piss in the bucket" for the people of Iraq! That was their money, which could have been spent on restoring their country, if the U.S. hadn't treated the 20 billion as if it was a "piss in the bucket"
@Cameron
I feel you brother. I can feel it boiling inside myself and I thought I was odd but I've been seeing it, hearing it and feeling it in others as well. It almost feels like a violent revolt on the scale of The French Revolution is about to take place.
The French Revolution, huh? Not the American? You prefer Madam Guillotine followed by wars of continental imperialism? Not a war against slavery and untold wealth? Choose carefully.
American civil war was over slavery. Understood.
Okay, that's it. America needs to get out now. The capitalism that has so undisputedly "prevailed" throughout the world isn't working and we need to cut off these fat cat capitalists before they rape the entire country.
This is war spending, centrally controlled command-economy. Nothing to do with capitalism.
Unless it's the use of money that you object to.
I feel sick with anger and dispair. The world is screaming for funds to help save the environment which we need if WE are to survive, people are living in grinding poverty yet billions of dollars can just vanish. American greed knows no bounds.
I am deeply humbled by the sorrow of the doctor who helped tell this story. I am canadian, and know from different documentaries that the Iraqi people are a great people. The American leaders who created this human rights catastrophe are the types to write an autobiography full of self-glorification of what they did in Iraq. I pray the money will come back to your hands, through the good American's who give with not taking. You didn't even ask for money, just a compassionate watcher, that's shows who you are.
Maybe it's time to check and see if Bush and Cheney have hidden accounts in Lietchenstein or Saudi Arabia.
Cheney's hunting accident did occur in the presence of Pamela Williford, Bush appointed
Swiss ambassador to Lietchenstein, who happenened to oversee one of the biggest tax havens in the world...
Why was she there?
Wow that is truly sad... Never underestimate an american's greed