Newsgroup: italia.firenze.discussioni
Titolo: Le GAIdGIcnCuC - Ed. straordinaria, Gennaio 2006

Supplemento al Numero Quattro, gennaio 2006, del Post periodico di 
considerazioni sulle Grandi Avventure Irachene dei Grassi Incoscienti che 
non Capiscono un Cazzo©.
Ho visto poche cose somigliare come questa a quello che il Foscolo o il 
Manzoni, utilizzando una delle loro espressioni più eleganti e raffinate, 
avrebbero definito "un bastone nel culo".
Da IuesseiTudéi:
Posted 2/1/2006 5:24 PM
Insurgents force U.S. to cut back plans for Iraqi reconstruction
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Guerrilla attacks in Iraq have forced the 
cancellation of more than 60% of water and sanitation projects, in part 
because American intelligence failed to predict the brutal insurgency, a 
U.S. government audit said.
American goals to fix Iraq's infrastructure will never be reached, mainly 
because insurgents have chased away contractors and forced the diversion of 
repair funds into security, according to an audit of the Iraqi Relief and 
Reconstruction Program released last week. It is the latest in a series of 
auditing reports being issued by the Special Inspector General for Iraq 
Reconstruction.
The rise of Iraq's insurgency was never envisioned by U.S. officials, who 
originally budgeted about 9% of reconstruction aid for project security, the 
audit said.
As kidnappings, killings and sabotage drove local laborers and foreign 
technicians from the reconstruction program, U.S. administrators were forced 
to step up protection for workers.
New measures like armored vehicles, private security teams and blast walls 
absorbed as much as 22% of project costs, according to the audit by the 
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
"The whole purpose of those attacks was to drive those contractors out," 
said Wayne White, who headed the State Department's Iraq intelligence team 
until last year. "Lots of them had to leave. They were terrified."
Planners "envisioned a much more permissive security environment than that 
experienced in 2004 and 2005. The Iraq insurgency has directly affected the 
cost of the reconstruction projects, increased the cost of materials and 
created project delays," the audit found.
Pre-invasion U.S. intelligence reports said guerrilla attacks were likely, 
White said.
"But nobody predicted anything of this magnitude in terms of resistance," 
said White, now an analyst with the Middle East Institute in Washington. 
"And in part, the magnitude of the resistance was spurred by our failures in 
reconstruction."
U.S. officials coped with the gathering insurgency by diverting $5.6 billion 
of the $18.4 billion U.S. aid package into Iraq's security and public safety 
sectors, while slashing projects aimed at restoring the country's water and 
electricity infrastructure, the report said.
Funds earmarked for Iraq's military and law enforcement jumped 55%, funding 
training and weapons for Iraqi police and troops, prison construction and 
additional border guards.
U.S. occupation authority planners assumed incorrectly that rebuilding 
projects could proceed without interference from Iraqi insurgents, according 
to the audit, titled "Challenges Faced in Carrying Out Iraq Relief and 
Reconstruction Fund Activities."
The insurgency has had "a very significant impact" on reconstruction 
efforts, said Greg Sullivan, a spokesman for the State Department. But he 
said the U.S. rebuilding goals have always been to give Iraq a head start.
"This is an incredibly oil-rich country, and eventually money and resources 
are not going to be a problem," Sullivan said. "The long-term goals we're 
pretty confidant Iraq can meet as long as it gets enough of a head start."
The spending diversions forced the cancellation of 60% of the 136 planned 
water and sanitation projects, including sewage, irrigation and dams. Just 
49 water projects are expected to be completed, the audit says.
Of the 425 planned electric projects, 300 will be finished, meaning 
ambitious U.S. promises to restore Iraqi power will not be fulfilled.
Projects canceled include $1 billion for six generating plants across Iraq, 
which will cut back U.S.-funded increases in Iraq's power generation 
capacity from a planned 3,400 megawatts to 2,109 megawatts, the report said. 
The stated monthly goal was 6,000 megawatts.
Many in Washington agree the U.S. emphasis on huge infrastructure projects 
was a mistake because they provided few jobs or immediate improvements to 
daily life.
"So many of our goals were not met, in part because of really expert 
sabotage by the resistance," White said. "But it was also the fault of being 
overly focused on long-term projects that weren't bringing short-term 
relief."
Iraq's still-constant blackouts and a perception among Iraqis that the 
United States failed to live up to early reconstruction promises have helped 
make the U.S. occupation deeply unpopular.
Lack of electricity also boosted reconstruction costs, forcing contractors 
to import generators, White said, noting that few of Iraq's state-owned 
factories reopened after the U.S. invasion.
"If you can't rely on the national power grid, you really can't get back to 
a state of normalcy which is required for industrial recovery," he said. 

avrebbero definito "un bastone nel culo".
Finalmente ti sei accorto di cosa ti provocava quel diffuso e uggioso
fastidio nella tua zona lombare?!
-- 
Tommaso
Difensore della Certezza Prematurata