Iraq fails to take over U.S. projects

[Tom Odom]

I am with the Iraqi principal on this one. The simple fact is that if Engineer project manager fails to do his job and leaves the 'user' to supervise the task that a trained engineer project manager should be doing, then failure on project delivery should be no surprise. (Unless you are truly as thick as a brick).

I cannot imagine the USACE handing over supervison of any domestic captial project to a school principal, I am mystified that anyone would do it on ops.
I am also amazed at the obvious lack of diligence in the commitment and supervision of Govt funds. For an organisation that stencils 'for official use only' on everything at home it really seems to be a case of 'penny wise and dollar foolish'.

Oh Mark,

Give me a few years and I could recall any number of similar idiocies I have seen all over Africa and the Middle East. Having been married to an AID officer for much of my time as a FAO, I got to see this stuff up close.

Talk to Stan; he has his own portfolio of assistance war stories.

The reality that drives such decision is the imperative to spend money, rapidly, and make it look good, allowng for a quick exit stage left. Rationale thought is not necessarily part of that process.

There was a movie in the 1980's with the title Inc., Incorporated. As I recall Eddie Albert was CEO and Judge Reinhold was a young executive. He was briefing the CEO on the lastet fighter the company was selling to a fictional African country. When asked why, Reinhold said, Country A wants Fighter Model A to keep up with Country B which is buying Fighter Model B (which Inc.Incorporated also made)." Anyway the CEO asked, "do they actually fly these aircraft?" "No," answered Reinhold, "They push them down hill from opposite sides of the valley which separates the two countries. The one that still rolls afterward wins. We win with more sales."

I found that comedy to be a perfect metaphor for our assistance to Zaire in competition with Congo-Brazza. I think Stan would agree.

Best

Tom

PS

then there was the time, USAID Cairo was forced to import slightly used Wisconsin dairy cattle to Egypt....