Along with his plan to send 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, President Bush also is proposing to make changes that would result in a more modest, decentralized approach to continue rebuilding the country's economy. The scope of the effort, including how much infrastructure work it would include, wasn't immediately clear. But most, if not all, of the new contracts appear likely to go to Iraqi companies.
The administration plans to ask Congress for additional funding for the new program, though much less than the $20 billion committed so far. And it has appointed retired Foreign Service officer Timothy M. Carney to be the new, Baghdad-based point man for the economic development effort, with the title of "coordinator for Iraq Transitional Assistance."