Chatterjee, Pratap. Iraq, Inc.: A Profitable Occupation. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2004. 248 pages.

Pratap Chatterjee works at CorpWatch (www.corpwatch.org), and his investigative articles have appeared in various publications. In 2004 he visited Iraq and spoke with many natives, as well as many of the low-level occupiers. He discovered that most Iraqis are not happy with U.S. efforts. "Indeed many are downright angry at the lack of basic services such as electricity and telephones. They fear the uncertain future held out in the privatization of Iraqi industries and hope for an end to the chaos in the hospitals, and most importantly, the growing danger in the streets."

Halliburton, Bechtel, Titan Corporation, CACI International, Dyncorp, Blackwater, and SAIC are some of the U.S. companies with contracts in Iraq that are covered in this book. Chatterjee shows that private security is a waste of money, the quality of the recruits is poor, and accountability is lacking. To a large extent, the occupation has turned into a boondoggle. Newly-minted corporations with good connections got fat U.S. contracts, recruited unqualified people as quickly as possible, and sent them to Iraq to hit the ground running. Some are security guards, some are interrogators, and many are infrastructure bureaucrats who skim extra profits. The people of Iraq pay the most, but U.S. taxpayers pay also, because none of this is working very well.
ISBN 1-58322-667-2

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