Contact killings: the new normal in Iraq.

• Author: Cavanaugh, Tim
• Position: Citings - Brief article

WITH characteristic deadpan delivery, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shocked and amazed nobody with a September report announcing that "the United States generally has not met its goals for reconstruction activities in Iraq with respect to the oil, electricity, and water sectors." As of August, oil production remained below prewar levels, and efforts to restore electricity and water treatment capacity have failed to meet stated goals.

Much of the trouble stems from shady contracting arrangements and unrealistic expectations. As the report explains, "When setting requirements for work to be done, [the Department of Defense] made assumptions about funding and time frames that later proved to be unfounded." The GAO cites numerous cases where hiring of a contractor was completed before the Defense Department, the State Department, or Iraqi authorities had even decided on the work to be done or the budget for the job.

The agency has been...