Basra

Last month I made a visit to Basra to see my relatives and to attend a wedding party for a cousin. I really long to go there once in a period due to the four years I spent at Basra University and before that the long years I used to spend in my holidays during my childhood with my cousins who live there.

I love Basra city, which lies in the far south of Iraq and in the north of the Arab gulf. So it has the sea and harbors which we don't have in all over the country in addition to its people who are well known for their generosity and hospitality. I am still in touch with my colleagues and friends there even after finishing my study besides my relatives who still there having some visits to see them just like this one or some phone calls in case I wouldn't .

But the very thing made me write this blog in this visit is the negligence that the governorate still suffers in all fields though that the Iraqi budget largely depends on Basra oil and ports. More than 75 % of the budget comes from Basra. I don't understand how do the government deal with the budget and on what bases do they depend to distribute the federal budget among the provinces and ministries. I was surprised to see the governorate, after the sufferings it had with its people whether during Saddam's regime or for the last four years in the new democratic Iraq, in the same conditions or may be worse than before.

The strange thing is that all Iraqi ports lie in Basra which means that all imported stuff from Asia and some European countries and exported oil to them should be through the Arab gulf and Basra! If Basra depends only on taxes which come from harbors, it should have skyscrapers everywhere. On contrary, the road from the main Harbor of Umm Qasr, which is one of five commercial ports besides the two other ports for oil in Basra, to Basra city is unsafe for driving as the pavement is not good and bumpy due to the careless it has .This is a simple thing, while hospitals, factories and infrastructures are neglected or broken in this city. If people want to be appointed as governmental employees, they have to join either police or army .As if the government and the whole country is police and army and even these things not to be easy to get without bribes! We don't have any kind of investments or indicators refer to any improvement in the infrastructure, society or the standard of living.

The other disaster is Shatt AlArab, which is a river of about 200 km long formed by meeting the two great rivers Tigris and Euphrates, which flows in the Arab gulf. There is no cleaning for its water nor its banks for the last four years. Also oil smugglers started using Shatt AlArab water having oil products taken out of the country by small ships waiting for bigger ones on the deep sea .The result is our oil sold illegally and cheaply leaving huge spots of oil on water during the delivery. So oil is sold in the area and polluted water is here, too.

I went to Umm Filous harbor (about 30 km south of Basra), which is used to be a commercial one, but it becomes the harbor of oil smugglers, to see what is going on. I saw two small ships (they call them launches) side by with a big ship has some sailors whose faces tell that they are from Eastern Asia .When I asked my companion about the matter, who is from Basra city, he said" We have smugglers from Iran, Thailand, Malaysia, UAE , India and everywhere who deal with counterparts in Iraq with million dollars per day! I asked "Do the government know of this matter? The answer shocked me. "Most of the Iraqi smugglers are related to main parties in the government sharing the profits with them "he said. My question is now for the government, if the government can't control a small piece in the far south of Basra, how it can rule the whole country?

Comments

[laptop]

Basic resources, BASIC ones: electricity, food, shelter, clean water are lacking for a huge number of Iraqi citizens. Water-borne illnesses (such as cholera) on the rise. Hospitals (according to IRIN) lacking 90% of the medicines/supplies needed to provide adequate medical care. Professionals of all types driven out of the country; teachers, doctors, engineers, targeted for kidnapping and assassination. More journalists killed in Iraq last year than in any other region of the world.

Meanwhile, millions and millions of gallons of oil have gone MISSING. Graft rampant (U.S. companies participating--per GAO reports) An environment polluted not only by oil spills as noted by Hussein, but also by cancer-producing spent-uranium from U.S. weaponry.

Get a clue, Adam. The U.S. came to occupy and exploit Iraq, not stabilize it. Indeed, lack of stability serves many purposes, including dividing, distracting and debilitating the citizenry. Stop wrapping your mind http://www.batteryfast.co.uk in the illusion that we're doing Iraq a favor. Please. We need to start speaking honestly about what our country h

[Adam]

I'm sorry I don't buy into your "US is out to destablize the world so we can rule it with an Iron fist, sucking Oil from every country that produces it." I will agree with you that we did not go into Iraq for the right reasons, but we are there, lets be real and deal with it instead of fantasize about what could have been or what should have been. We did Iraq a favor by getting rid of Sadam.. we just did it WAY too late. Bush Sr should have done it when the Shiites originally rebelled and were put down. Our piss-poor planning for after the invasion is what is not helping the Iraqis. (And a point which you seemed to have dodged mentioning) What's hurting them even worse is the fact that they cannot come together as 1 people... not even to come together as 1 voice to say "USA, GET OUT" if that is what they truely want.

As to the comment "The tragedy Laura (and I know that you are aware of it) is that the US media does not report what this post does! And, Adam is a perfect example of that neglect." ....

The fact that I'm here, posting this comment contradicts your statement. I read many different websites from different countries 1) To get news that is not reported by the biased US media (And I dont know why your complaining about it since the US media has a heavy liberal bias.) 2) To get the views of other people from other nations about current events 3) To help bring a realistic view of the world, instead of everyone's fantasies that always start "If we hadn't invaded Iraq..."

Do your own research about events, and form your own opinion. Don't let others dictate it to you.

abkejc - While I do not doubt that many Iraqis are living in a hellish environment... many live with what, 1-4 hours of electricity a day and no clean running water? That should be priority #1. I just wanted to point out that you stated "I saw a movie documentary"... Just remember Documentaries are meant to show a particular point of view, and to sensationalize things to help "open eyes". I don't doubt what you saw in the documentary is true... i just wouldn't make blanket assumptions the entire country is that way.

At least 1 other person understands where I'm comming from. If you don't Laura, let me clarify...

Our Military is about to break if we keep the status quo in Iraq and don't demobilze and rest/recover our troops and equipment. If we are bogged down in Iraq, we can't move troops to Afgh... if we dont do that, Afgh will become the next Iraq.. we don't want to repeat that. And if your conspiracy theory holds true, the Neo-cons can't attack/invade/destablize Iran with the majority of our Military busy in Iraq. If oil was the main reason, why are oil prices at $3.00/gallon pushing our economy into a Recession? You keep up your theories in lala land, while I use my education and reasoning instead of my imagination.

So lets all remember... lets deal with reality and the situation on the ground... not the what we SHOULD have done....it fails to produce solutions... we need to figure out what we NEED to do.

[Txlady615]

My heart goes out to the Iraqi people who are enduring the hardship of this war. I do hope they do not loose faith that democracy and freedom is worth the sacrafice they are having to make right now. Eventually Al Quaeda will be defeated, and order established. The Iraqi children will be educated in their new schools, people will be able to go about their lives feeling safe and secure. The United States has also paid a great price to give safety and freedom to the Iraqi people. I hope the Iraqi people appreciate the sacrafice the American's have made to give the Iraqis a better life. The Iraqi people must take control of their own country, and building their communities in order to make it work. The US would like to bring our troops home to their families, but if we do it too soon, the terrorist will take over Iraq and corruption will be even more widespread. This situation the Iraqis must take a strong stand against and not tolerate. Meanwhile may God protect these people who are innocent, especially the adorable children.

[abkejc]

New to this, so hey. I saw a movie documentary on HBO just this morning about the situation there. It is so hard to believe what is really happening reading about so many mixed communications. For example, about two weeks ago on the US State Department's website they had a presentation by a private contractor for the US government talking about how chicken and other poultry farms are expaning in a region outside Baghdad, cannot recall what exact area. He said many positive things about the community and collaboration taking place. Yet in the documentary I saw today it was highlighing how Iraqi citizens are living through bombs everyday. SOme of the citizens in the dicumentary were even requesting Saddam back if it was possible. This documetary was filmed in 2007, but still. I have a lot of mixed reactions and hope to be able to share them and perhaps learn how civilians can contribute towards helping make things better, if it is possible. I hope and think so, but I know there is probably a lot I do not know.

[billjpa]

The tragedy Laura (and I know that you are aware of it) is that the US media does not report what this post does! And, Adam is a perfect example of that neglect.The "Government" in control is US approved by the US. The method of reducing the violence is "ethnic Cleansing" The use of private mercenaries that act outside of any law is rampant. Need I list more? I don't think so.
The corruption is endemic and is simply the result of hundreds if not thousands of years of a culture that the US hasn't a clue. All they want is to attempt to insure a steady flow of OIL! And, to use Iraq as a base from which it(the US) can extend its control.
Chalmers is book- Blowback- lays it all out. The tragedy will continue until ????????

[Laura]

Basic resources, BASIC ones: electricity, food, shelter, clean water are lacking for a huge number of Iraqi citizens. Water-borne illnesses (such as cholera) on the rise. Hospitals (according to IRIN) lacking 90% of the medicines/supplies needed to provide adequate medical care. Professionals of all types driven out of the country; teachers, doctors, engineers, targeted for kidnapping and assassination. More journalists killed in Iraq last year than in any other region of the world.

Meanwhile, millions and millions of gallons of oil have gone MISSING. Graft rampant (U.S. companies participating--per GAO reports) An environment polluted not only by oil spills as noted by Hussein, but also by cancer-producing spent-uranium from U.S. weaponry.

Get a clue, Adam. The U.S. came to occupy and exploit Iraq, not stabilize it. Indeed, lack of stability serves many purposes, including dividing, distracting and debilitating the citizenry. Stop wrapping your mind in the illusion that we're doing Iraq a favor. Please. We need to start speaking honestly about what our country has done, if we are ever to repair the mess we're making in the world.

[Adam]

Or Laura, instead of always blaming "Neo-cons", Pres. Bush, etc., how about we put the blame where it should be: On the Iraqis.

Hussein, your blog is very much needed, as it is one of the rights you now have with your new democracy. Now if your people can only learn how to use democracy to its fullest...

Yes, we helped put the government in place, but we do not ultimately decide it. Sure, make your claims "they wouldn't be there unless we supported them". Well, you can make the EXACT claims for the Iraqis. If they are truely unhappy and want to stop the corruption... kick your leaders out of office, and elect new ones. The best part of democracy that doesn't seem to be understood: You can get rid of your leaders if they are not living up to their promises and not fulfilling their duties.

It's the will of the Iraqi people that need to make the change. They need to decide that they are sick and tired of living in miserable conditions and to hold their leaders accountable for making change happen.... We are there to support them, not to micro-manage everything for them.

[Laura]

How can it rule the country? Badly. But then, it seems to me that that's the goal of the neo-cons and corporations that created, backed and spearheaded this war and occupation. They're plunderers that have done the same thing across the globe. Unfortunately, there always seem to be greedy folks in the affected countries who are happy to jump on the boat of destroying their nations. Naomi Klein lays the whole thing bare in her book Shock Doctrine. It's a terrible but revealing look at the ways neo-conservatives and Chicago school economists have depleted and exploited nations on several continents. The more folks inform themselves of this, the sooner we can band together to create real change.

Thank you so much for your post Hussein.