Sunni Side Up

I am at a loss to understand why the American bunker commanders have given their GI Joes the OK to trade, sell and supply guns, ammo, cash, jeeps and fuel to Sunni insurgents who are "disenchanted" with al-Qaida. Apparently, bunker chiefs have decided it's up to each commander on the ground to decide if their insurgents are worthy of such gifts. I'm wondering what tests the insurgents have to pass in order to gain the goodies. Do they simply front up at a meeting point and declare that they promise to stick a needle in their eye should they ever pass on the guns to al-Qaida or other insurgents intent on killing Americans?

I'm sure the CIA once gave weapons and money to al-Qaida to sort out those peski Ruskis in Afghanistan twenty years ago. And look how that worked out.

Bizarre. I think at the heart of all of this lies governance. There is corruption at every level of governance in Iraq - the Sunni speaker was just expelled by the Shia-dominated parliament yesterday for various scandals and the army and the police corps are riddled with sectarian violence.

This governance transcends to more than just Iraq. Iraq I believe, is a symptom of a wider problem of governance - state and corporate - that is a virus chewing its way throughout the planet. Just look at the recent G8 summit. Mountains of money (and still not an acceptable amount to forge positive and everlasting change) pouring in to Africa, but knowingly being put in an abyss of stink and corruption.

And it's not just African nations. BAE Systems - the massive weapons manufacturer in Britain - and possibly the Ministry of Defence, have been caught out bribing Prince Banbar of Saudi Arabia to the tune of "one billion pounds". Worse, the British Labour Government prevented an inquiry from concluding because it could test the friendship of the two nations. A billion quid - think how many school lunches that is....

Twenty-first century governance...sunny side up? It's a scrambled mess.

Please enjoy this video clip of Fat Boy Slim's Weapon of Choice. Remember - if you walk without rhythm, you won't attract the worm.