Home > Largest dam in Iraq is at risk of an imminent collapse!
Largest dam in Iraq is at risk of an imminent collapse!
by Open-Publishing - Thursday 1 November 20071 comment
Economy-budget International USA
The largest dam in Iraq is at risk of an imminent collapse that could unleash a 20m (65ft) wave of water on Mosul, a city of 1.7m people, the US has warned.
The largest dam in Iraq is at risk of an imminent collapse that could unleash a 20m (65ft) wave of water on Mosul, a city of 1.7m people, the US has warned.
.......However, a $27m (£13m) US-funded reconstruction project to help shore up the dam has made little or no progress.
....a US watchdog said reconstruction of the dam had been plagued by mismanagement and potential fraud.
In a report published on Tuesday, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) said US-funded "short-term solutions" had yet to significantly solve the dam’s problems.
Entire story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7069109.stm
Forum posts
1 November 2007, 10:04
In the north they’re under the threat of a flood. In the south they’re lucky if they have access to fresh drinking water. Their professional class headed for greener pastures and haven’t returned. Electricity remains a problem. Oil production is no where near sufficient to maintain the country’s finances, much less to bolster prosperity. The country’s a magnet for the worst kind of extremists. Turkey is likely going to invade before the end of the year. The police are still infiltrated with double agents. Corruption is a standard operating procedure. Contagious diseases threaten an overburdened medical system. The government is woefully divided and perpetually inept.
But amazingly Neocons like William Kristol are touting the successes of the surge, alluding to the prospects that America could still "win" the war. The major networks routinely feature U.S. troops spreading good will across the land while minimizing the range of devastation that plagues Iraq.
America has lined up like a group of lemmings behind The Secret. Strangely, you hear, "Don’t be so negative" everywhere you turn. It’s still the land of Hallmark and the smiley faces. Teddy bears are customarily part of I Love You gifts. Hillary steadfastly peddles "a change for the better," while practicing the same old same old. In general the people are duped. They’re too weak to take anymore bad news, or, as it’s known in empirical terms, reality.
Just when the world needs an actual assessment of circumstances, Americans are demanding positivity. And sure enough the corporate powers that be, as well as the Federal Reserve, are giving them at least the illusion of positivity. Cheap dollars and cheap thrills, expensive gas and anxiety pills. It’s a formula for disaster.
How much longer can America keep its head in the sand without suffering grave consequences for ignoring how quickly the world’s turning sour?