A curious report on NPR this morning made me think about the state of the fledgling democracy in Iraq. To the reporter, a sense of hope that is sweeping the "liberated" nation is not the contested constitution that will be voted upon within the week, but rather the progress associated with the beautification of its citizenry with an increase in demand for
plastic surgery, of all things. I have to admit, I was almost heartened by an international acceptance and remaking of such a precious commodity of our own, namely
Nip/Tuck; sure...it's all about people feeling good about themselves. The Iraqis are learning democracy well, for how much more American can you get than to concentrate on the symptoms than the actual problems? And why not, as it is considered a "middle-class luxury"? So popular is the booming industry, perhaps we should just forget about oil as the US may be in the wrong business:
Iraqi salaries are much higher than before the war, the cost of cosmetic surgery is so low, patients from Jordan and Syria risk their lives to come to Baghdad for the service.
Moreover, going beyond the economic aspects of the practice lies a disturbing insight into the fusion of business ethics and social identity. Hinting at an inherent impurity in the Iraqi physique, says the plastic surgeon, pioneer of a free market democracy in Iraq, interviewed by Deborah Amos:
We work about every two woman...one man...cause all of the nose, noses in Iraq are...[laughter]...need plastic surgical operations.
So on a serious note, the primary concern is that as usual, only the symptoms are being addressed rather than the real problems such as:
- The continued Violence stemming from the upcoming vote on the Iraqi constitution
- The unavailability of funds and continued lack of oversight that has caused Iraqi reconstruction to come to a virtual standstill.
But when the $10 million project in southern Iraq is finished this month, it will fall far short of those ambitious plans. The theater, classrooms, officer's club, basketball courts and shooting range have all been scrapped. The barracks will be one story instead of two.
The reason for scaling back the barracks? The U.S. government is running out of money. The higher than expected cost of protecting workers against insurgent attacks -- about 25 cents of every reconstruction dollar now pays for security -- has sent the cost of projects skyward.
The result: Some projects have been eliminated and others cut back.
"American money has dried up," says Brent Rose, chief of program/project management for the Army Corps of Engineers in southern Iraq.
And tracking the billions of dollars that flooded into a war zone in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion has proved difficult, too. Nearly $100 million in reconstruction money is unaccounted for.
- Continued relations with Ahmad Chalabi, now Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Council Relations President of Iraq.
- If people from Jordan and Syria are risking their lives coming to Baghdad for plastic surgery, what does that say about the foreign terrorists who have something to fight for something beyond their physical appearacnes, despite the fact that we have been blowing up bridges to stop the influx of foreign terrorists? And since the nature of this business is changing appearance, will terrorists make use of such services?
Don't get me wrong, Nip/Tuck is a fascinating show that highlights the culture of plastic surgery. Perhaps we need to send the Iraqis season one so they see not only the economic prosperity they are apparently experiencing, but also the dysfunction that results from it as well. And that NPR will perhaps do a follow-up on Iraqi identity due to their booming business, in addition to the failed reconstruction and civil war.
By the way, the military's using it too, but not for improving the soldiers' state of beautification.