'China makes a bid for favor in Baghdad'

good job military industrial complex...........we are so proud of you........from the daily star.........


"And so it is that at a cost of over $1 trillion and the lives of more than 4,500 troops, the United States may be on the verge of handing China – America’s main economic rival and long-term threat to its global dominance – the gift of a firm foothold in the Middle East. And this took place without the Chinese having ever supported the Iraq war in any way. Such are the ironies of modern geopolitics".


"The withdrawal deadline for U.S. forces in Iraq is drawing nearer and officials in the Obama administration are pressuring Iraqi politicians to make a decision on whether to extend the American military presence. Much debate has arisen around which foreign powers will wield most influence in the country, especially once all American troops are withdrawn. Indeed, some American publicists worry that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will turn Iraq into an Iranian satellite state.

However, one nation in particular, China, is rapidly developing ties with Iraq and looks set to be a major contender with the United States and Iran for influence in Baghdad. The most recent indication of this has been the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding, or MOUs, between China and Iraq. So far, the MOUs have involved broad economic and technical cooperation and the training of Iraqi cadres in China, to be followed by an MOU on electricity.

Cooperation in the field of electricity is noteworthy in light of the fact that since the Coalition Provisional Authority lifted import tariffs in late 2003, Iraq has a seen a flood of cheap imports of consumer goods from China. As a result, real demand for electricity has soared even as overall output has increased. The result has been a reduced average daily availability of electrical power since 2003 in cities like Baghdad'...............READ MORE