Analysts: Iraq Security Needs Improvement (before economic recovery)

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051208/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_iraq

<snip>

Bush, giving the second of a planned four speeches on his Iraq strategy, conceded Wednesday there had been setbacks in the reconstruction effort, saying it was hard to rebuild a country "when terrorists are trying to blow up that which the Iraqis are trying to build."

But Iraq experts said the president had not gone far enough in detailing the daunting challenges Iraq faces. Until authorities are able to get control of the violence, there will be little hope of mounting a sustained economic recovery, these analysts said.

"There is an underlying instability and lack of safety which really puts everything at risk," said Rick Barton, an Iraq expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Barton said it was notable that Bush in his speech did not discuss the oil situation, where production levels have continued to fall far short of U.S. goals because of sabotage.

"Oil is the huge missing link. It is three-fourths of the economy," Barton said.

[sabra]

1. Analysts say shaky security situation hampering efforts to rebuild Iraq

http://www.wbir.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=30598

Analysts say shaky security situation hampering efforts to rebuild Iraq

President Bush is bullish on Iraq's economic future, but analysts aren't convinced.

The chief economist at Standard and Poor's says it'll be hard for the economy to recover "until you can walk across the street without ducking."

...

An Iraq specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies says the president didn't talk much about oil in yesterday's speech.
Rick Barton says oil is the "huge missing link," making up 75 percent of Iraq's economy. He says sabotage has limited production to far below U-S goals.

And an expert at the Brookings Institution says electricity is "more of a bad story than a good story." He says power in Baghdad is off more than it's on.

[mmonk]

2. I wonder if the oil flow would be sabatoged

if there wasn't the presence of an invading occupation force.