Progress Behind the Scenes
Have you ever noticed that there is virtually zero terrorism in Kuwait? It's true - try and find the last time a suicide bomb went off in that country. The reasons why hold great promise for Iraq.
Kuwait is floating on nearly 100 billion barrels worth of oil. That's what makes this otherwise desolate wasteland one of today's wealthiest nations. Kuwaiti citizens reap the benefits in a big way - in addition to deriving income from the oil profits, each Kuwaiti receives free education and a lifetime of free medical care. NOBODY in Kuwait wants some Al-Qaeda nut killing the golden goose with a VBIED. So whenever radical islamists have attempted to establish a cell in that country, the Kuwaiti citizens turn them in faster than they can say "Allah'u Ak'hbar."
Not surprisingly, the citizens of Iraq are following the same trend. In Basra, local citizens are turning in Mahdi army thugs faster than the Iraqi army can take them off the streets. And while Iraqi and U.S. troops are continuing to absolutely hammer Muqtada al-Sadr's punks in Basra, the major news networks have decided these victories aren't worth reporting. I wonder why?
Iraq has more oil than Kuwait. Some estimates put its reserves at close to 300 billion barrels. While this isn't as much on a per-capita basis, it's more than enough to double the annual income of the average Iraqi, as well as provide plenty of funds for building infrastructure, providing education and health care.
Before this can happen, the Iraqi government needs to come up with a solid legal system that will encourage foreign oil companies to invest in exploration and development. Then it needs to come up with an equitable revenue-sharing agreement between all interested parties - especially the Kurds. All of this is not only possible - it's happening right now. When asked about the progress that's being made toward these ends, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said last week, "Look, they're doing it in a way that is befitting a democratic process. They're discussing. They're arguing. Undoubtedly, they're horse-trading. This is a process that I think is quite familiar to any state that is trying to put in place a pretty fundamental piece of legislation."
While for some reason the mainstream media continues to ignore this backroom progress, along with other gains that are taking place across the country, Iraqi citizens are closer to an agreement today than they were even a few weeks ago.
America's place in all this? Kuwait wouldn't be the stable country it is today if it hadn't been for the sacrifices of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines during the first gulf war. The reward for those efforts is a modern-day ally that is one of the few oil-producing countries that actually likes us. God willing, our efforts in Iraq will do even better.
Further Reading:
Read Between the Lines
Good News Buried by Avalanche of Apathy
Chuck Holton
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