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LESSON FROM IRAQ: (RUNNING) WATER, ELECTRICITY (ENERGY) AND (GLOBAL) SECURITY ARE THE TRILOGY SUSTAINING AN ORGANIZED COUNTRY

On April 7, 2003 American troops seized downtown central Baghdad and Saddam Hussein's regime crumbled down. Twenty days after the Anglo-American troops invaded Iraq a 30 years old "dictatorship" collapsed.

However, posting this delivery, on the morning of April 15, 2003, chaos is still rampant in most of the cities and regions of Iraq under the control of the coalition forces.

Banks, state's buildings, private property and belongings, hospitals, schools, universities, museums ransacked and set ablaze (5,000 years old pieces of antiques destroyed!). Looting everywhere. Running water's distribution stopped, electricity permanently cut down and security inexistent.

An organized and orderly country jumped back to barbarism and anarchy within a short time period of twenty days.

What is the lesson to learn from the disaster that suddenly befell on Iraqis? How comes the country remained orderly despite 12 years of economic sanctions and embargo imposed by the "international community", from 1991 to 2003, and collapsed just in 20 days of foreign invasion?

The dramatic events unfolding in Iraq show the link between the harmonious development of a country and the following trilogy: Water, Energy (Electricity) and Security.

Indeed, what is the difference between well settled, developed countries and disorganized, underdeveloped ones?

In organized countries, the basic community services: running water, nonstop electricity' supply, free movement of people and security of property are a permanent guarantee to the population. In such organized countries, the population can freely deliver its full creativity.

How happy they are the people of developed countries that have, at anytime of everyday, running water ready from the tap, the shower or the bathtub !

That is not the case for the populations of unorganized countries. Lack of nonpolluted drinkable water in a community means the lack of the basic stuff that supports the life of human beings and makes daylife easy. Common human practices and daily life events such as showering or bathing, clothes washing, meals cooking, eating and drinking become difficult.

People of unorganized countries or communities drink polluted water (if available) and therefore they catch diseases of all kinds. They experience limits in their economic undertaking and the country or community's prosperity is at stake. Women toil and travel long-distance to fetch for the indispensable liquid, water. They are already tired before starting to cook or washing their clothes. Children eat badly and are handicapped from the childhood. Their school performance limited. Their health damaged from the start.

Happy are people of developed countries who turn on and off the electric bulb as they wish! They can cook easily either with their electric or gas cooking furnace. They can read and watch the television set, listen to music and entertain themselves.

In the contrary, the lack of electricity supply or its constant disruption makes life difficult for people living in unorganized communities. Cooking for instance is done with firewood and the country's vegetation disappears progressively. Desert gains ground. Drought is recurrent. Agriculture development hampered. Crops yields not rewarding to the toiling peasants. Poverty perpetuated.

People of organized countries move freely from place to place, town to town, country to country. Their movements and property secured and protected by efficient police forces. In the contrary, in a disorganized community the lack of global security leads to chaos, anarchy and complete disruption or failing of the economy.

The sudden disorganization of Iraq, triggered by the Anglo-American's invasion, proved a country's economic development to be on good path only when its rulers carry out plans to supply drinkable water, nonstop energy (electricity) and global security to the entire population.

The last term of the trilogy - global security - including freedom of speech, freedom of belief and freedom of political choice.

The lack of democracy and cornering the nation's wealth by a minority of people are the background of the looting spree in the streets of Mosul, Kirkuk, An Nasinyah, An Basrah, An Najaf, Umm Qasr, Kerbalah and Baghdad.

Saddam Hussein failed to fulfill the three kinds of freedoms linked to global security and therefore frayed the social cohesion of his country, which makes it an easy job for the Anglo-American invaders to destroy Iraq.

In the contrary Southeast Asia's rulers - South Korea and Taiwan for instance - acted more "professionally" and efficiently. True, from the start they ruled their countries under "soft" dictatorship. Four decades running - from 1949-1953 to 1985 - during the period of the forcible search for economic development, they curtailed freedom of speech and freedom of political choice. However, they deftly reverse the trend as soon as their country dwellers start fidgeting for more democracy.

The dramatic events unfolding in Iraq are lessons for Africans. No African country is firmly set on the path of sustained economic development as long as the populations in rural areas and in the cities do not have access to clean drinkable water, nonstop supply of electricity and benefit from the guarantee of global security.

THE SQUANDERING OF MONEY BY A SUPERPOWER

The first salvo of the war to behead the leadership of Iraq used 42 cruise missiles at US$ 1 million a piece. For no use.

That makes US$ 42 million sent in smoke! With such money 2,730 water wells equipped to deliver running water could be fixed in as many villages of rural areas in Africa.

More than 23,000 missiles and all kinds of deadly bombs rained on Iraq during 20 days. The estimated cost of these weapons of mass destruction is around US$ 5 billion.

With such money 65,000 power generator engines could be established in Africa's rural areas. Or 650,000 well equipped rural health centers. Or 450,000 rural primary schools.

The global cost of the war wagged against Iraq is conservatively evaluated at US$ 100 billion by National Priorities Projects. And the reconstruction cost at more than US$ 50 billion (Evaluation made before the war started!). Click here to read online an Acrobat PDF document on the matter. Or Right Click here and Choose "Save Target As" to download said document. [You may need Acrobat Reader here available].

Could you imagine for a moment what a portion of said money, set aside as Financial or Bank Guarantee, could do to finding financial means to promote the economic development of impoverished countries as here exposed?

So the leadership of the superpower of the day squandered huge amount of money to kill innocent people, destroy communication centers, flatten costly buildings, disrupt indispensable community services and traumatize for years to come once orderly (even if bad managed) country - Iraq. Just for a show of deadly might to assert its rank as a superpower.

Now more money will be disbursed to rebuild what was functioning before. Africa's bad rulers are not the only ones who do not build on existing assets and prefer to start afresh from rubbles!

Money that could have been spent in organizing a better live for all around the world had been squandered in sheer destruction.

In their wild ride across Iraq's territory in search of weapons of mass destruction allegedly in Saddam Hussein's hands, the Anglo-American coalition forces just proved to the world at large that they themselves did have weapons of mass destruction.

MORE ON IRAQ'S WAR AND THE SUPERPOWER
1- Dreaming War Blood for Oil and the Bush-Cheney Junta By Gore Vidal 2- World On Fire How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability By Amy Chua 3- The End of America Era US Foreign Policy and the Geopolitics of The Twenty-First Century By Charles A. Kupchan	4- The Price The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power By David Yergin 5- The Company A Novel of the CIA By Robert Littell

"CONTRIBUTOR'S GUIDELINES" are available here. You are invited to contribute to AFRICABIZ ONLINE MONTHLY ISSUE - with articles related to "How Africa Could Bridge The Developing Gap".

Many thanks for subscribing to Africabiz. See you on May 15, 2003.

Dr. B.M. Quenum
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Business Opportunities

FLOWERS AND FRAGRANCE PLANTS AGRIBUSINESS AS INCOME BUILDING POWER FOR AN AFRICAN COMMUNITY / PART II: CONTINUATION TO THE INTRODUCTION TO ESSENTIAL OILS INDUSTRY

Essential oils are odorous products produced from natural raw materials such as leaves, fruits, roots and wood of many seasonal or perennial plants. They are of complex composition and contain alcohol, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, esters, ethers, and turpenes in varying proportions. An estimated 3,000 essential oils exist of which around 300 are of commercial importance. Most of them obtained from agricultural plants, but some 28 essential oils are collected in commercial quantities from wild sources Here is a shortlist of essential oils and the plants they originated from; with the main producing countries

- AVAILABILITY OF RAW MATERIAL IN AFRICA

The condition to develop essential oils' industry, on small, medium or large-scale industrial basis, is of course the availability of the raw material. The agricultural development of the raw materials (plants, seeds, nuts here listed) used to produce essential oils are not exposed in this delivery. People interested in the matter should refer to other sources for data and information.

Previous issue gives briefs about the characteristics of four plants, which are the most used to produce essential oils - Geranium, Citronella, Eucalyptus and Lemongrass.

In subsaharan African countries, Malawi is the one that already has plantations of Eucalyptus (15,000 ha); Lemongrass (3,200 ha) and Citronella (2,800 ha). However there is not, posting this article on April 15, 2003, an essential oils industry set up in Malawi and exporting.

Malawi is doubtless the destination for investors interested to setup essential oils industries on medium and large scale basis. They can quickly start the operation. Raw materials are aplenty and costs competitive i.e. salaries of hands and staff, availability of various taxes and fiscal incentives granted by Malawi's government.

World total production of essential oils is about 100,000 to 110,000 metric tons. [Source]. The major exporters are the United States (US), the European Union (EU) and a number of developing countries, the most important of which are China, Indonesia, India and Brazil. In year 1998 the EU accounted for 52 per cent of world exports, and the US for 13 per cent (UN's Yearbook1999). Developed countries are the main importers, with the EU and the US accounting for 44 per cent and 8 per cent respectively in 1998 (UN's Yearbook 1999). Other big consumers are Japan, East European countries and China. For more Click here for Adobe PDF digital deliveries on several regional markets.

The production of essentials oils is also a complement to the former delivery dedicated to nutriments and supplements pharmaceutical ventures here described; as essential oils from Lemon grass provide the basic raw material (citral) for the production of Vitamins A and E.

MORE ON ESSENTIAL OILS

1- Essential Oils Desk Reference By Essential Science Publishing (Hardcover - Oct 2007) 2- The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 600 Natural, Non-Toxic and Fragrant Recipes By Valerie Ann Worwood (Paperback - Mar 1, 1993) 3- The Essential Oils Book: Creating Personal Blends for Mind & Body By Colleen K. Dodt (Paperback - Jan 3, 1996) 4- Essential Oils Pocket Reference 3rd Edition (Spiral Bound 2004, 3rd Edition) (Spiral-bound - 2004) - Unabridged

5- Releasing Emotional Patterns with Essential Oils By Carolyn L. Mein (Paperback - Sep 1, 1998) 6- Essential Oils Integrative Medical Guide: Building Immunity, Increasing Longevity, and Enhancing Mental Performance By D. Gary Young N.D. and Ronald M. Lawrence M.D. Ph.D. (Hardcover - April 1, 2003) 7- Quick Reference Guide for Using Essential Oils2006 10th Edition By Connie and Alan Higley (Spiral-bound - 2006) 8- Magical Oils by Moonlight: Understand Essential Oils, Their Blends and Uses; Choose the Appropriate Day By Maya Heath (Paperback - April 2004)

For more details on the international trade of Essential Oils visit following link

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