The grass always seems greener across the fence...

So the war is over, the media tells us. At least we can breathe a sigh of relief that it lasted only about three weeks, and not the months -- or even years -- that some armchair pessimists were predicting.

At this point it may be as well to reflect on how things are panning out in Iraq from our perspective over here, in Indonesia. That ubiquitous beast, corruption, appears to be rearing its ugly head again.

Countless, independent surveys have highlighted that Indonesia is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and possibly the most corrupt in Asia. Corruption over here seems to be getting totally out of hand in the so-called reform era. At least, as many have observed, one knew where the limits of corruption were in the "good ole" Soeharto days.

But is it really that different over there in the West, and in the U.S. in particular? Is the grass really greener on their side of the fence? Or, is it the case, as some cynics have wryly noted, the West has been at it for far longer, and knows how better to cover it up?

Throughout 2002, an endless list of U.S. companies became infamous for their involvement in corruption and collusion, the "KK" in the "KKN" so beloved by those in the media these days.

Enron, Worldcom, Tyco -- the list goes on -- were all found to have engaged in dishonest accounting practices -- theft, to you and me -- and had colluded with their external auditors to mislead the outside world about what was really happening inside those companies. Arthur Andersen, one of the world's largest and hitherto highly respected accounting firms, has all but collapsed as a result of the subsequent revelations.

The billions of dollars involved, the number of people whose financial future was destroyed, makes what is going on over here, even alleged corruption within the Jakarta city administration, seem like small beer in comparison.

So what about the "N" -- nepotism in "KKN"? Surely that's not happening over there! Well, let's take a look at what is going on in Iraq in the immediate post-Saddam situation.

As the coalition powers ultimately decided to go ahead with the attack on Iraq without explicit UN approval, relations with the UN have become strained, to say the least. Quite apart from the strong antiwar stand taken by France, Russia and Germany, it seems that the UN is likely to be effectively shut out of the all-important reconstruction phase in Iraq. (Observers have also noted that the nations above may not have been quite as principled as it seemed at the time, given the amount of business and political capital that all three had invested in Iraq.)

U.S. government representatives have already said that the UN will have a "vital" role, but not the lead one, which will, of course, fall to the U.S. It already seems that the plum (i.e. very commercially attractive), postwar reconstruction contracts for rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure are likely to go to a variety of American firms, including oil industry services company Halliburton, which, until 2000, had Vice President Dick Cheney on the payroll as chief executive.

Surely an old Texas oilman like George W. Bush is not going to be handing out favors to his cronies in the oil industry? Needless to say, French, Russian and German firms should not hold their breath in the wait while these decisions are made ...

It is already well known that the Pentagon "wargamed" (carried out extensive simulations of) the war in Iraq in great detail and from every possible angle for months before the attack started.

At the same time, art historians and archaeologists from all over the world, but particularly the Middle East, begged and pleaded with the Pentagon to ensure that the numerous, irreplaceable treasures from Iraq's Mesopotamian past, housed largely in museums, be protected once Saddam was defeated.

It seems, from the extensive looting -- including the ransacking of museums and hospitals and theft of vital medical supplies and equipment -- which took place once Baghdad was seen to have fallen, that the Pentagon's war games, comprehensive as they were, must have stopped at the fall of Saddam.

They do not appear to have considered what would happen in the total breakdown of civil law and order that would surely follow his defeat. This lack of preparedness makes the Jakarta city administration's floundering about during the 2002 floods seem like the epitome of good civic governance.

Finally, it seems that the U.S. government is keen to install former exile Ahmad Chalabi as the civilian head of a new Iraqi government as soon as circumstances permit. Unfortunately, as the Pentagon-sponsored candidate, he seems to be having difficulty in gaining the acceptance of the local people, without which, of course, it would be impossible for him to govern.

His shady past, including a conviction for financial impropriety, seem to have tarnished his reputation as the potential new leader of the Iraqi people. That would be the equivalent, say, of a leader of the Indonesian legislature trying to continue in office after he had been convicted of corruption.

That could never happen over here, could it?

-- Jim Read