The U.S Story With the UNDP Report 2004

Unlike the 2002 UNDP report, which was favorable to the U.S and hence was used by it as the basis for its first detailed proposals on reform in the Arab World, the 2004 Report was less favorable to Washington since it perceived its presence in Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories as a major factor that contributed to the lack of political freedom and the underdevelopment of the Arab region.

The report maintained that U.S actions were in contradiction with its rhetorical commitment to freedom. It failed to fulfill its security obligations in Iraq in a way that significantly led to the rise of the level of crimes such as robbery, rape, and terrorism. Also mentioned and criticized in the Report was the widespread detention and torture practiced by the American forces against the Iraqi people, in violation of the Vienna Convention. Highlighted also was the failure, so far,of the occupation forces to provide for basic services such as communication, electricity and water. In this context, only $1.3 billion out of a total $18.4 billions allocated by the U.S congress has been spent on the reconstruction of Iraq till October 2004.
Such explicit criticism prompted the U.S administration to exert pressure on the UNDP threatening that it would cut its $100 million annual contribution to the UN agency if it published the Report with the offensive passages. The U.S attempt to modify the Report did not succeed but it led to the delay of the Report for three months.

The U.S stand from the Report raised questions about the real intentions behind its call for reform in the region. The U.S administration should have resorted to a critical dialogue with the UNDP instead of using the language of threats that undermines its loudly declared dedication to help promote democratic reform in the Middle East. By not practicing what it preaches the U.S. plays into the hands of those in the region who are opposed to the American reform initiative.