Inspector: Iraqi corruption a 'second insurgency'
Inspector general, a former Austinite, survives inquiry into his own office's ethics.
By Ken Herman
WASHINGTON BUREAU
Monday, August 04, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. — After 19 trips to Iraq, 244 audits and 18 quarterly reports to Congress, is the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction encouraged or discouraged about whether Iraq will be a functioning democracy anytime soon?
"Get rid of the 'anytime soon,' and I would say encouraged," Stuart Bowen said. "It's going to be gradual."
The problem, the former Austinite says, is Iraqi government corruption that he sees as the "second insurgency" and one that could be more challenging to eradicate than the armed insurgency.
And the corruption is magnified by what should be good news for Iraq: high oil prices, which have it sitting on $70 billion worth of oil.
"It could be a blessing. It could be a curse," Bowen said of the oil windfall. "That's for the Iraqis to ultimately resolve."
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