Freedom on the march in Iraq. Privatization by the bomb.

How we define things depends on who is saying what. Whenever people asked me if I was for the death penalty I always responded that it depends who is doing the judging and who is the executioner.

The same with all aspects of life. The Iraq situation is a mess, it will never be anything but a mess. Politicians live behind heavily armed fortresses as do bankers and other business people whose interests the politicians serve.

The murderous invasion of this country by US imperialism and its British ally has led to the deaths of hundreds, perhaps millions of Iraqis, not to mention the tremendous strain forced on neighboring countries as refugees pored over the borders to escape the war. But that doesn't matter when US imperialism is defending its economic interests.

The sanctions following the first war and in reality imposed through US pressure led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children and many more have been born deformed due to the use of depleted uranium by the military. And we can be sure that the US warplanes that fired on Iraqi troops as they were retreating from Kuwait, weapons locked, will not be forgotten. The resistance in Fallujah will be an example forever in the minds of Arabs and Muslim workers throughout the world of the heroism of Iraqi and Muslim forces in the face of the most powerful military machine the world has known.

The Islamic fundamentalists, heeding the imbecile Bush's famous call to "bring it on" are back in Iraq after a long absence and suicide bombings still leave scores of people dead regularly.

But this is not the main issue for the capitalist class, the thugs that orchestrated this carnage. For them the issue is the free market. The war on Iraq is a war for the market and for the privatization of its industry, for the private ownership of its productive forces and wealth by western capital. A healthy "democracy" is the preferred environment for the plunder of societies wealth but the main issue is the right to make profit. When the capitalists refer to the "rule of law" this is what they are talking about. Not laws that might guarantee a roof over your head, or a job, there is no such law even in the USA. Not laws that ensure medical care for all citizens, the USA doesn't ensure that---law on the books or not. And certainly not laws that protect workers. The rule of law means the laws that facilitate and protect the rights of capital to exploit labor, of the capitalist class to control and own the wealth of society.

By this standard, Iraq is moving right along. Business Week points out the tremendous steps Iraq is taking towards real freedom. Dar Es Salaam Investment Bank (DES) is "thriving" reports BW with profits surging over the last 5 years. "You walk through the entrance and heavily armed guards stop you. You get body searched at least twice. And your phone is taken away before you reach a teller. Mobile of course, can trigger bombs or send a signal to armed accomplices.", Business Week reports. But profit is growing, freedom is working.

DES is mostly owned by the giant multinational HSBC and is a sign of the new freedom that the invasion has brought. Never mind that the HSBC's manager in Iraq lives "like prisoners", as all the capitalists, especially foreign ones do "holed up in a walled community run by a security company".

Yes, freedom is on the march in Iraq. BP, ExxonMobil, China National Petroleum are "besieging" HSBC for financing for everything from pipelines to "worker's camps" (non union please) the security/mercenary business is booming. Drilling company Weatherford, Centrilift the pump manufacturer, Cameron for valves, the privateers are eager for freedom's gifts.

Lafarge, the French cement maker already an owner of two Iraqi pants is on a roll and hopes to buy more formerly state owned plants and re-furbish them. Bombing a country's infrastructure is one way capitalism creates a market for itself.

Prior to the invasion, or more accurately the split between Hussein and his US masters, the Iraqi oil industry was state owned as was much of the country's industry; the US put a stop to that. Iraqis also moved about pretty freely and life was relatively stable if you weren't in opposition to the US's favorite son in Iraq. Electricity was available most of the day as was water, and you could go to the market without getting blown to bits. Women were in government and Iraq was one of the more secular country's of the Arab world, unlike the Saudi regime, another US supported gang who are well known for their public beheadings, murder of women and religious police who make sure you're believing right.

Now the politicians live in armed fortresses along with their foreign backers and all other investors and speculators in Iraq for some plunder.

Iraqi workers sure are lucky the "rule of law" is being established there.