http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/iraq-open-for-business/
"Hundreds of Iraqi officials — said to be the largest delegation from Iraq ever to visit the United States — gathered in a hotel near Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss neither security nor American troop levels. Rather they came to promote something that was once, and might still be, more of a hope than a reality: investment.
“Why invest in Iraq?” Sami al-Araji, the head of Iraq’s national investment commission, asked the gathering on Tuesday in a crowded conference room at the Hyatt Regency. “There has never been a better time to invest in Iraq. Iraq has emerged from the conflicts of the past with tremendous potential for investment from local, regional and global companies.”
...President Obama’s national security adviser, James L. Jones, addressed the conference, as did Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who practically threatened investors not to tarry.
“In the words of an Arab proverb, ‘Dawn does not come twice to awaken a man — or a woman,’” she said. “The world is watching for every opportunity to invest in Iraq, and companies that wait too long may discover they are too late.”
Clinton urges U.S. companies to invest in Iraq
June 3, 2011
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/03/iraq.business.clinton/
"Iraq is open for business, and American companies should make an effort to invest there, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday.
"President Obama and I and our government believe strongly that expanding economic opportunity is as essential as building democratic institutions," Clinton said while surrounded by executives from companies as far-ranging as Occidental Petroleum, JP Morgan Chase, General Electric, Microsoft and Lockheed Martin, in a round-table discussion aimed at getting companies focused on commercial opportunities in Iraq despite its current "tough environment."
...With one of the largest customer bases in the Arab world, along with one of the best-educated work forces in the region, Clinton said, Iraq poses significant opportunities for American companies. The International Monetary Fund has projected for Iraq to grow faster than China over the next two years, she said.
The United States, through its embassy and consulates throughout the country, stands ready to assist American companies "to help create the conditions for investment and growth that will be broadly spread and create a ladder of economic opportunity for those willing to work hard," Clinton said. "Iraqis are looking to rebuild every sector of their economy, not only their oil sector but agribusiness, transportation, housing, banking and many others."
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Look at how much money she and Bill have made from that vote!
