With temperatures still hitting triple digits every day, Ahmed Saad stays busy installing and repairing air conditioners in his western Baghdad shop.
He recently expanded his business and added staff after getting a $6,000 loan, thanks to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“Before, there were only two workers,” Saad said in Arabic. “Now I have six workers. I bought more spare parts. I also have work outside the shop. I go to some companies and ministries.”
The U.S. estimates the unemployment rate in Iraq is 18 percent. By unofficial estimates, it could be as high as 30 percent. Sanctions under Saddam and seven years of war have taken their toll.
“There are no good jobs in the private sector,” laments Adnan Kamil, as he shops in a Baghdad market, “Doctors and restaurant owners are doing well, but the rest of the businesses remain poor.”
Iraq used to have a state-run economy, and the government still accounts for 43 percent of employment.
But why should the U.S. spend taxpayer money creating jobs in Iraq, when we have such high unemployment at home?
The worry is that a lack of jobs translates to a lack of security.
“This is a critical time in Iraq,” says Alex Dickie, mission director for USAID in Iraq. “Stability in Iraq is part of our U.S. government strategic interest in Iraq.”
The U.S. is pushing programs with familiar-sounding goals—encouraging lending to small businesses to stimulate job creation.
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07 AUG 2010 GUNMAN IN UNIFORM KILLS 2 U.S. SOLDIERS IN IRAQ. AMERICAN SOLDIERS ARE SITTING DUCKS. BRING THE TROOPS HOME!
ReplyDeleteThat's nothing we're secretly bailing out the Afgan Bank which is ran by the crooked president's brother among other Ali Babbas.
ReplyDelete12:10
ReplyDeleteYou are right! We are secretly bailing out Afghan Bank via IMF. The excuse would be if we let Afghan fail our security will be in jeopardy. So the Washington clowns continue.
I knew they didn't care about us, but I thought they at least cared more about us than random people in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteI bet most of the money is going to the elites from the US who just set up shop there. That is the only way I can even begin to understand why they'd do this.
hey everything is OK.
ReplyDeleteDo not worry about the $ Trillions for the military industrial complex , CIA contractors And US Treasury bondholders in the oil and drug wars.
Alls well.
The capitalist system has found some small change to spend on america ,so the "Recovery" from all that deficit debt creation and waste in wars is assured.
Obama Messsiah has now found the enormous sum of $50 Billion to spend over the next few years to save the american economy and create the needed millions of jobs.
Obama says Americans will have the best superstructure in the world -once again!
So let us rebuild the infrastucture for a more efficient ponzi economy recovery.
Neither Democrats or Republicans are concerned with rebuilding American Industry, in a free trade world with permanent free trade wars .
Till then there may or may not be plenty of food stamp handouts available for American Debt Peons.
As this is the real depression for all of us. As this is concerned with the issue of the financial problems.
ReplyDelete