Skip to content or view screen version

UK companies in Iraq: new report from Corporate Watch

Corporate Watch | 13.03.2006 11:23 | Analysis | Social Struggles | Oxford

Corporate Watch is a small independent research organisation, based in Oxford. We publish research to help those resisting corporate power -- check out www.corporatewatch.org.uk

We also bring out a newsletter every two months, and a news update on web and email every two weeks. To subscribe to either of these, please see our website, or give us a call on 01865 791 391

CORPORATE CARVE-UP
FIRST DETAILED ANALYSIS OF ROLE OF UK CORPORATIONS IN THE RESTRUCTURING OF IRAQ

Corporate Watch, with The Independent, has produced a new report into the impact of UK corporations in post-Saddam Iraq - out now on corporatewatch.org
£1.16bn worth of UK corporate contracts and investment since March 2003
UK Consultants: Pushing privatisation
The 'Baghdad boom' in private security
How UK government and industry groups have facilitated the carve up
Profiles of the 66 UK companies known to be in Iraq

UK consultants: creating a new Iraq
The UK's long historical involvement in the Middle East, and leading role in the invasion and occupation of Iraq, is paying off for a great number of UK-based consultancy firms.

Bodies of armed men
The 'security issues' in Iraq have led to the 'Baghdad boom' in private security work. While UK companies may be playing a very secondary fiddle to the US as far as main Iraq reconstruction contracts go, British private security companies (PSC) and private military companies (PMC) are easily neck and neck with their US counterparts.

Iraq wasn't sold in a day
UK companies have benefitted from close and frequent contact with both US, UK and CPA officials and later with Iraqi government ministers. This access has been maintained by the efforts of both private and public organisations

Loukas Christodoulou, the author of the article says
'The US/UK-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was about preserving US/UK access to, and control over, the oil reserves of Iraq. UK companies have since played a big part in creating an Iraq run along "free market" lines, with corporate control over its services and natural resources.'

This report is available on our website www.corporatewatch.org.uk
We are currently looking for funding to print it.

Corporate Watch
- e-mail: news@coporatewatch.org
- Homepage: http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk