Analysis: Iraqis without fuel, power

Despite endless reports of the “recent success in Iraq” in the U.S. corporate press, the situation on the ground for the Iraqi people remains extremely difficult. While this article attributes this to the attacks on the power supply by various insurgent groups, and also to actions taken by Turkey, there are other factors at play.

For background information, see IMF measures wreak havoc on Iraqi people, Feb 2006, and Economic Warfare: Iraq and the IMF, Sept 2006, and Iraq raises petrol prices 15% to keep IMF happy, July 2007

You can’t have one without the other, but with many of Iraq’s power plants shut and refineries stopped, Iraqis have neither fuel nor electricity.

Iraq’s Electricity Ministry is blaming the Oil Ministry for cutting fuel supplies and Turkey for ending electricity imports.

The Oil Ministry says continuous power to its refineries will lead to continuous supplies of fuel.

“We hear a lot of promises but we see nothing,” Baghdad resident Amjad Kazim told Gulf News. Blackouts and long lines at the fuel stations are increasing as subsidized, state-controlled supplies run dry and the black market boosts prices.

In Baghdad’s neighborhoods, black market auto fuel prices have jumped by nearly 20 percent in the past week, according to IraqSlogger.com.

Various U.S. government reports show fuel supplies are half the target and the ministries are unable to make the needed capital investment.

Iraq suffered from extensive power outages last summer, but reports showed steadily increasing capacity and delivery of electricity through the end of the year. Now there are widespread reports of two hours of power a day through much of the country.

Posted by neurolingo

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