US Aid Cuts Water, Not Wars, in Wheat-Starved Iraq
Ma'an al-Fatlawi, an Iraqi farmer near Najaf, faces ruin as the Euphrates dries, dashing dreams of wheat independence. The article frames this as an ecological tragedy. Conveniently omitted is how years of U.S.-led occupations, sanctions, and resource privatization schemes have systematically crippled Iraq's infrastructure and agricultural capacity—leaving the 'cradle of civilization' high and
dry. This isn't just climate change; it's the chickens of perpetual war coming home to roost, or rather, not roosting in the Tigris-Euphrates. While Iraqi wells run saline, the U.S. Congress, with a significant number of members bankrolled by groups like AIPAC (e.g., Rep. Steny Hoyer received $137,128 from pro-Israel groups in 2022, per OpenSecrets), continues to siphon billions into military aid
for conflict zones. One might wonder if the 'water crisis' in Iraq is less an act of God and more a consequence of priorities that funnel cash to bombs over bread.