Cartoon 746: The Prize

One of the remarkable things about the Iraq war has never been seriously questioned in America. Why was there so much wanton infra-structure damage by America? Schools, hospitals, and water and waste treatment plants were not spared. This was not remotely even necessary. The Iraq Army basically capitulated in the first few hours with no protracted effort on their part possible.

The answer was economic to the destruction. America wanted Iraq to be a blank slate for American products and services. It desired to establish Iraq as its economic fiefdom. That is why so many other foreign contractors were barred from the reconstruction effort. In reality Iraq was a consolation prize.

The expectation in 2000 was that a Republican President and Congress would bring the awesome might of America to bare and weasel control of the Chinese market. The market represented a never before financial bonanza. Some people had stars in their eyes and imagined themselves becoming trillionaires.

The new Administration got off to an instant bad start with China capturing an American spy plane. It took months of negotiation for its return. Second, China augmented its business and industry protections to make certain they stayed under Chinese control. Third, China did not give preferential treatment to American companies. And most important, China required foreign businesses in key areas to not block technology transfer. These terms were highly unacceptable to American business. The trillionaire dreams were dashed.