Below is a recent clip of Dan Rice, a Baghdad colleague, talking about economic development in Iraq on Fox News. Dan did economic development work as a civil affairs officer when I was there and is now trying to encourage private investment in some of Iraq's recovering industries. In this clip, Dan is suggesting that we support an "economic surge" to follow the security surge that has brought stability to Iraq. We were encouraged by the rebirth of the poultry farming industry in Mahmoudiyah (southern Baghdad province) last year, and there are other sectors of Iraq's economy that are showing signs of marked improvement. Dan talks about tomato paste factories, and I can recollect talking to more than a few Iraqi businessmen who believed there were profits to be made in that business.
