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Export-Import Bank 

FREEDOM AND THE FREE MARKET

Cat.: Export-Import Bank, Postwar Reconstruction, The Forum
11. August 2008
Comment

In America's foreign policy, free market rhetoric often goes hand-in-hand with calls for the protection of human rights.  So it would seem like Iraq and Afghanistan, where we've been installing liberty for quite a few years now, should be prime targets for major economic projects.  But when Iraqi state coffers are filling up with unspent oil revenues and American soldiers are on the front lines of economic development with small cash payments, there is a disconnect that could use a few quick fixes.  After all, major infrastructure projects still need building in the countries we are supposed to be rebuilding, and Iraq continues to expand its government bureaucracy instead of its private sector.  So here's a shot at what needs trying: