IHT Article Describes Mismanagement and Inaction of United Nations Oil-For-Food Program
Today's International Herald Tribune contains a disturbing account of the United Nations (U.N.) Oil-For-Food Program for Iraq. The article explores how Saddam Hussein and his regime amassed billions of dollars while under international sanctions and concludes that "an examination of the program, the largest in the UN's history, suggests a straightforward answer: The United Nations let him do it."
The article describes the mismanagement and inaction that was rampant in the U.N.'s 661 Committee, the U.N. body that was responsible for overseeing the Oil-for-Food Program. The article notes that "despite an elaborate system for overseeing oil-for-food contracts, corruption never seemed to be the chief concern of anyone involved" and that the result was "paralysis that translated into acquiescence toward matters like oil smuggling and kickbacks."
The complete article can be viewed at the following link: http://www.iht.com/articles/533768.html.