This Symbolizes What Is Wrong In Iraq

Poverty is rampant in Basra, Iraq, despite its oil fields. Few area residents can find jobs at the nearby refinery. Joao Silva for The New York Times

Marooned on Sea of Iraqi Oil, but Unable to Tap Its Wealth -- New York Times

BASRA, Iraq — The orange glow of the giant natural gas flares in the oil fields around Basra represents this bustling city’s wealth of natural resources. But for the impoverished people who live near them, the flames only serve as a reminder of their inability to share in the riches that lie beneath their feet.

The area around Basra, Iraq’s second largest city and main port, accounts for as much as 80 percent of the country’s oil production. It has emerged as Iraq’s best hope for stability and prosperity as it prepares to sell off its top undeveloped oil fields to foreign companies at an auction next month. Of the five largest fields that will be bid on, four are in or around Basra.

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My Comment: Trillions of dollars in oil .... and they cannot get their act together because they are quibbling over pennies.