"Vast Opportunities Available"
POTENTIAL BUSINESS INVESTORS ARRIVE IN IRAQUnderstandable, certainly, that the Erbil Chamber of Commerce would want to tout its business-friendly environment. Except it's a press release from the U.S. military.
Erbil, Iraq - More than a dozen potential business investors arrived here today via a direct flight from Vienna to see for themselves the vast opportunities available for international business.
The Kurdish Minister of Finance and Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Business Transformation and Director Task Force to Support Business and Stability Operations -Iraq, Mr. Paul Brinkley, held a joint press conference at the Erbil International Airport upon the arrival of the business executives.
The international businessmen will spend a week touring areas in northern Iraq to develop business relationships and meet factory managers.
Put it in that ever-expanding file marked "Mission Creep."
posted by The Cunning Realist at Tuesday, May 15, 2007
6 Comments:
Mr. Paul Brinkley, Director and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Business Transformation: (703) 695-9715
http://www.defenselink.mil/tfbso/taskforce/faqs.html
Per DoD Task Force website:
Why Is a DoD Task Force Involved in Economic Development?
The US Department of Defense is the largest industrial organization in the world, and via primary, secondary, or tertiary supply relations, engages almost every significant industrial organization in the world today. DoD has the ability to quickly engage senior level American and international economic interests and marshal tactical industry resources, in conjunction with our interagency partners, to assist in rapid revitalization of industrial activity in Iraq. Accordingly, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England, established the TF-BSO in June 2006 and appointed the Deputy Under Secretary for Business Transformation, Paul Brinkley, to lead the department’s efforts to stimulate economic growth to counter an insurgency fueled by rampant unemployment and lack of economic opportunity and development.
Using DOD reach, the Task Force employs the following methodology to generate demand for Iraqi industry:
DoD contracts for goods and services. To sustain our forces in Iraq, we currently contract for several billion dollars a year for a variety of materiel goods and services. Much of this materiel and services is imported from outside of Iraq. Directing a percentage of this demand to Iraqi industry provides a significant stimulus to the Iraqi economy generating as much as 20-25% GDP impact.
Re-establishment of Iraqi demand. By assessing the state of Iraqi industry and the “catalog” of goods that can be produced in Iraqi factories, the Task Force facilitates connections between sources of demand in Iraq and potential Iraqi factory suppliers; this includes regional demand, eg, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Linkages to US and International Industry. The Task Force has engaged, and continues to engage, senior executives from American and international industry to provide support for Iraqi industrial revitalization. The response has been heartening but needs to accelerate for our economic efforts to appropriately support the military surge.
Ah mate, eerily familiar.
I sat through the same surrealism in 2003-2004 right up front. We had real Priv. Eq. sniffing but just about everyone serious learned quickly just how good the US Defence people were at "business."
Remarkably similar to their skills in understanding Iraq as such.
Wonder if they've done as much for NOLA?
I still cherish my stylish carrier bag from the International Baghdad Expo, which was, of course, held in Turkey.
I think this allowed for U.S. All about the potential business and the economy raised... has been stoking the effort. You know we need more blogs like this one to get more information about our international situation.
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