Congressman Roger Wicker visits Iraq
Wicker serves on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee
by JOE MEEK
DBJ Managing Editor
Roger Wicker arrived back from Iraq this past week. He visited with U.S. troops and assessed the progress of efforts to
help the Iraqi people begin the process of self-governance.
Rep. Wicker was one of six members of Congress in the bipartisan delegation on the six day trip. He is a member of the
Foreign Operations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over several programs related to rebuilding activities in Iraq. The
visit coincides with the one-year anniversary of the liberation of Iraq from 25 years of the brutal and dictatorial rule of Saddam
Hussein. Wicker, a rising star on the national political scene, gained great insight into the Middle East during his trip to
that region. The following is an interview pertaining to his trip.
DBJ: Congressman Wicker, do you feel that substantial progress toward having a strong, self-governing Iraqi government
has been made?
Wicker: Absolutely. There is a lot more positive news than negative. As a matter of fact, many of the troops that I spoke
with from Mississippi were somewhat frustrated that CNN and some of the network news are only covering the negative stories
when there are so many positive developments on the ground there in Iraq. One of the messages that the troops wanted
me to bring back is that things are improving and that the prospects for success are very high.
DBJ: Do you think that when the new Iraqi government takes power this summer it will be able to maintain order and be
effective in implementing democracy in Iraq?
Wicker: I do. There is already a large degree of order in Iraqi society. When we drove through Baghdad, the major impression
that all of us received is that this is a city that is quickly getting back to normal. The shops are open, sidewalk markets
are flourishing and are busy, and there is a tremendous amount of automobile traffic - almost twice as many vehicles are on
the road as before the invasion of Saddham’s regime. So, commerce is flourishing in Iraq. The major problem that we see
comes from a small number of terrorists who have come in from other countries. On June 30, we will hand over
authority to the interim Iraqi governing council, but the U.S. will still be there in a backup role. We have no intention of letting
the situation go back to where it was before or allowing civil war to break out. Having made the sacrifice it would
be the height of folly to let those sacrifices go in vain.
DBJ: Do you believe that the business climate that would allow investments and growth in Iraq has been established, and
should American businesses pursue such opportunities?
Wicker: I don’t see why not. There are literally thousands of American civilians employed in Iraq right now. For example,
there is a huge effort to restore portable drinking water. American’s and American firms are involved in that. We are now
seeing more electricity generated than during Saddham Hussein’s regime. So, American’s are involved in building the
new power generation and we met with some of those people. One positive aspect of that is that you have American contractors
and American workers who are working beside Iraqi’s who are seeing the standard of living and a level of income that
they have never seen before. Iraq is a country that three decades ago had a vibrant middle class. It is a country with a
tremendous area of fertile ground and they have oil money. So Iraq has the resources - financial and natural resources - and
the history of a middle class success that presents the opportunity for planting the seeds of democracy. If democracy can
grow, not only there, but in the surrounding countries, then we will have indeed accomplished something profound and I think
that we are heading in that direction. DBJ
