-Caveat Lector- --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2003 13:26:28 -0500 (CDT) > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Shiva: Bechtel And Blood For Water > To: undisclosed-recipients:; > > Right to Water ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Posted: > 07/02/2003 By > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ============================================================ > Bechtel And > Blood For Water: War As An Excuse For Enlarging > Corporate Rule Vandana > Shiva > http://www.portoalegre2003.org/publique/cgi/public/cgilua.exe/web/templates/htm/5T5RU/printerview.htm?editionsectionid=74&infoid=5665&user=reader > The U.S. led war first bombed out Iraq's hospitals, > bridges, water works, > and now U.S. corporations are harvesting profits > from "reconstructing" a > society after its deliberate destruction. Blood was > not just shed for > oil, but also for control over water and other vital > services. In a > period of declining economic growth and a slowing > down of the > globalization juggernaut, war has become a > convenient excuse for > enlarging corporate rule. If W.T.O. is not enough, > use war. This seems to > be the underlying economic and political philosophy > of the > neo-conservatives ruling the U.S. and trying to rule > the world. What the > past month has revealed is the total and rotten > corruption on which the > new world order is based. As Bob Herbert states in > "Ask Bechtel what war > is good for" (Herald Tribune, April 22, 2003 p6) > Somewhere George Shultz > is smiling Shultz, whose photo could appropriately > appear next to any > definition of the military-industrial complex, was > secretary of state > under President Ronald Reagan and has been a > perennial heavyweight with > the powerful Bechtel Group of San Francisco, where > he previously reigned > as president and is now a board member and senior > counselor. Unlike the > anti-war soul singer Edwin Starr -- who, in an > ironic bit of timing, went > to his eternal reward this month just as U.S. ground > forces were sweeping > toward Baghdad -- Shultz knows what war is good for. > And he wanted this > war with Iraq. Oh, how he wanted this war. Shultz > was chairman of the > fiercely pro-war Committee for the Liberation of > Iraq, which was > committed to moving beyond the political liberation > of the oil-rich > country to the conveniently profitable > "reconstruction of its economy." > Under the headline "Act Now; The Danger Is > Immediate," Shultz, in an > op-ed article in The Washington Post last September, > wrote: "A strong > foundation exists for immediate military action > against Hussein and for a > multilateral effort to rebuild Iraq after he is > gone." Gee, I wonder > which company he thought might lead that effort. > Last week Shultz's > Bechtel Group was able to demonstrate exactly what > wars are good for. The > Bush administration gave it the first big Iraqi > reconstruction contract, > a prized $680 million deal over 18 months that puts > Bechtel in the > driver's seat for the long-term reconstruction of > the country, which > could cost $100 billion or more. Bechtel essentially > was given a license > to make money. And that license was granted in a > closed-door process that > was restricted to a handful of politically connected > U.S. companies. > Saddam's dictatorship is being replaced by U.S. > corporate dictatorship -- > with little distinction left between those who sit > in board rooms and > those who sit in White House, Pentagon and other > institutions of > government. Non-transparency and corruption China's > non-transparency has > been highlighted in the case of SARS. Bechtel > getting the first contract > for Iraq's reconstruction is a glaring example of > the non-transparency, > secrecy and corruption through which corporate rule > is established. > Whether it is water privatization contracts in > Bolivia or India, or > "reconstruction" contracts for Iraq, secrecy and > lack of democracy and > transparency characterizes the methods for gaining > markets and profits. > "Free trade" is clearly totally unfree. It is > coercive, corrupt, > deceitful and violent. Corporate rule is not an > alternative to Saddam > style dictatorship. It is replacing one dictatorship > with another -- the > dictatorship of corporations which have hijacked > state power and use > military might to grab markets. The intrinsic > dishonesty and deceit of > corporate dictatorship seems to not be apparent to > those who impose it in > the name of "operation Iraqi freedom". This seems to > arise from a > fundamental confusion about freedom and creation. > When the 7000 year > history of Mesopotamia was destroyed in the presence > of U.S. military, > Ronald Rumsfeld's naove and irresponsible comment > was - Free people are > free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad > things. On this logic, > the terrorists who crashed planes into the World > Trade Centre towers were > exercising a legitimate freedom to "commit crimes > and do bad things". And > on the same logic that made the U.S. military > presence a mute spectator > allowing Baghdad and its historical treasures to be > looted, the U.S. had > no right to start a war against terror after 9/11. > Just as there is > confusion about what human freedom entails among > those trying to create > "freedom" for others through war, there is confusion > about reconstruction > and "destruction". What happened in Iraq was > destruction. It is being > referred to as reconstruction. Innocent people were > killed, thousands of > years of civilisational history was destroyed and > erased. Yet, Jay Garner > - the retired U.S. General appointed unilaterally as > head of office for > Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, talked > about "giving birth to > a new system in Iraq". Bombs do not give "birth" to > society. They > annihilate life. New societies are not "born" by > destroying the > historical and cultural legacy of ancient > civilizations. May be the > choice to allow destruction of Iraq's historical > legacy was a > pre-requisite for this illusion of giving "birth" to > a new society. May > be the rulers in U.S. do not perceive these > violations because their own > society was built on the genocide of native > Americans. Annihilation of > the "other" seems to be taken as "natural" by those > controlling power in > the world's lone super power. May be the perception > of the deliberate > destruction of a civilization and thousands of > innocent lives as a > "birthing" process is an expression of the western > patriarchy's "illusion > of creation" which confuses destruction with > creation and annihilation > with birthing. The "illusion of creation" identifies > capital and > machines, including war machines as sources of > "creation" and nature and > human societies, especially non-western societies as > either dead, inert, > passive, or dangerous and cannibalistic. This > worldview creates the > "white man's burden" for liberating nature and our > societies even with > violence, and seeing it as the "birth" of freedom. > Whatever the deeper > roots of establishing an economy of loot and > violence in Iraq in the name > of "re-construction", the profiteering from war by > corporations like > Bechtel confirms that war is globalisation by other > means. For people > worldwide the challenge is to converge the energies > of the > anti-globalisation movement, the peace movement and > movements for real > democracy. Our challenge is to reclaim the real > meaning of freedom, > rescuing it from the degradations it has been > subjected to by the > doublespeak of "free trade" and the doublespeak of > "operation Iraqi > Freedom". The "freedom" being sought through free > trade treaties and > rules of W.T.O. and the "freedom" resulting from the > Iraq war is freedom > of corporations to profit. This freedom is a license > to loot. And > corporate loot and corporate freedom is destroying > democracy and freedom > for people and societies. The new freedom people > seek worldwide is > freedom from corporate dictatorship facilitated and > enabled by militarism > and war. This is as important for citizens of Iraq > and other countries > invaded by global corporations under the protection > of military or "free > trade" treaties, as it is for the citizens of the > U.S. The Bechtel > contract, and the Iraq war which created the > opportunity for profits in > "reconstruction" have thrown up issues of lack of > democracy transparency > and accountability in the way economic and political > decisions are made > by a U.S. administration which has become > indistinguishable from U.S. > corporations. A regime in which governments became > instruments of > corporate interest is no longer a democracy. Instead > of governance being > "of the people, by the people, for the people", > governance becomes "of > the corporations, by the corporations, for the > corporations". For > democracy to thrive a "regime change" is urgently > needed, in the U.S., in > Iraq, and in every country where corporate > dictatorship is getting > entrenched. Bechtel in Bolivia The most famous tale > of Bechtel's > corporate greed over water is the story of > Cochabamba, Bolivia. In the > semi-desert region, water is scarce and precious. In > 1999, the World Bank > recommended privatisation of Cochabamba's municipal > water supply company > (SEMAPA) through a concession to International > water, a subsidiary of > Bechtel. On October 1999, the Drinking Water and > Sanitation Law was > passed, ending government subsidies and allowing > privatization. In a city > where the minimum wage is less than $100] a month > water bills reached $20 > a month, nearly the cost of feeding a family of five > for two weeks. In > January 2000, a citizen's alliance called "La > Coordinara" de Defense del > Aqua y de la Vida (The Coalition in Defense of Water > and Life) was formed > and it shut down the city for 4 days through mass > mobilisation. Between > Jan and Feb 2000, millions of Bolivians marched to > Cochabamba, had a > general strike and stopped all transportation]. The > government promised > to reverse the price hike but never did. In February > 2000, La Coordinara > organised a peaceful march demanding the repeal of > the Drinking Water and > Sanitation Law, the annulment of ordinances allowing > privatization, the > termination of the water contract, and the > participation of citizens in > drafting a water resource law. The citizens' > demands, which drove a stake > at corporate interests, were violently repressed. > Coordinora's > fundamental critique was directed at the negation of > water as a community > property. Protesters used slogans like "Water is > God's gift and not a > merchandise" and "Water is life". In April, 2000 the > government tried to > silence the water protests through market law. > Activists were arrested, > protestors were killed, and media was censored. > Finally on April 10, > 2000, the people won. Aquas del Tunari and Bechtel > left Bolivia. The > government was forced to revoke its hated water > privatisation > legislation. The water company Servico Municipal del > Aqua Potable y > Alcantarillado (SEMAPO) was handed over to the > workers and the people, > along with the debts. In summer 2000, La > Coordinadora organised public > hearings to establish democratic planning and > management. The people have > taken on the challenge to establish a water > democracy, but the water > dictators are trying their best to subvert the > process. Bechtel is suing > Bolivians and the Bolivian government, is harassing > and threatening > activists of La Coordinadora. If we go by the > lessons from Bolivia, > Bechtel will try and control the water resources, > not just the water > works of Iraq. If the international community and > the Iraqis are not > vigilant, Bechtel could try and own the Tigris and > Eupharates, as it > tried to "own" the wells of Bolivia. Bechtel and > India Bechtel > enterprises, a privately held firm, is the world's > largest construction > company, having been involved heavily in the US's > construction boom in > the post WWII period. They are responsible for over > 19,000 projects in > 140 countries, with operations on all continents > (save Antarctica). > Bechtel is involved in over 200 water and wastewater > treatment plants > around the world, in large part through its > subsidiaries and joint > ventures such as International Water (which is > partnership of Bechtel, > Edison of Italy, and United Utilities in the UK). In > India Bechtel was > involved in the Dabhol plant with Enron, and is now > involved in water > privatisation of Coimbatore/Tirrupur as part of a > consortium with > Mahindra and Mahindra, United International North > West Water. As with > other water privatisation contracts, the contract > has not been made > public. Business that can only be carried out behind > closed doors, under > secrecy, does not promote freedom. It extinguishes > both freedom and > democracy.
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