Naomi Klein on
Iraq after the war: fully privatised, foreign-owned and open for business; in other words, the branch-office state par excellence, much like Central America was in the 1950s.
That is, assuming that Brand USA's hostile takeover is finalised smoothly, without major interference from, say,
the numerous Shia Islamist militias that have emerged from under the Saddam regime's boot. It could all end up looking like Beirut, or indeed Afghanistan, for decades, which does not exactly inspire investor confidence.