re: the post-saddam boom
Of course. Did anyone expect anything less than a selloff of all the country's assets to international interests? Why else bother with a war?
The interesting aspect is whether this selloff will be beneficial or otherwise to the people of the country. As pointed out, the region is coming form a very low base which should provise short term gains, but in the longer term I expect to see the typical instabilities and lack of economic progress associated with open economies in all but the most favoured of the developing countries.
