More déjà vu all over again

“Yes, Maliki’s militaries evaporated because he had appointed leading military officials who were Shia cronies. But also because he allowed his military to hollow out with corruption. While the security sector ‘had an annual budget greater than the budgets for education, health, and the environment combined,’ according to Zaid Al-Ali, very little made its way into security. df“Ghost” soldiers who were paid monthly salaries but never showed up for duty were legion. “Ghost” trainings were never held, with the money lining elite pockets, faulty, overly expensive equipment was purchased to enrich still others. No surprise that morale among the rank and file was low and they wouldn’t – and couldn’t – fight. A few years of cronyism and corruption undid a decade of painstaking U.S. effort.” – Rachel Kleinfeld, ‘Corruption IS a National Security Problem’

(Ghost soldiers and corruption happen every time the US pours money into a Third World country.)

http://breakingdefense.com/2014/06/corruption-is-a-national-security-problem-ukraine-iraq-afghanistan/?utm_source=Breaking+Defense&utm_campaign=db3d33a83b-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4368933672-db3d33a83b-407339625

(Americans who can fix everything all too often know “We will show them the way, Lord; we will show them the way.” **

(We are the rich guy who “feels” bad because he has too much money, and surely there is a poor man somewhere who needs some of it, a man who will take the money and listen when told, “I can fix your problem. All you need do is hear and obey. Unless, of course, you need more time to digest and understand what you should do. In that case, I will give you more money.”)


**Has nothing to do with religion or religious missionaries, only that knowing what is best for everyone else is as firm a belief by some as is religion by others.