[Opinion] Misery and Windfalls

There is another war going on in Iraq. Countries from all over the world are waging a fierce battle to win contracts for reconstruction work. World powers are rushing to mine gold at the expense of the Iraqi people. They do not care how many Iraqis have died or suffered from the war. They are just happy with rising stock prices and falling oil prices. This nation is one of a kind in this respect. It is now expecting its share, small as it may be, by serving Americans, the hammer of the allied forces, and by sending troops to be a part of their so-called post-war reconstruction. We ourselves may be not entitled to criticize those involved in the second round of the war.

It is not surprising that the large U.S.-based construction company Bechtel won the first order. Occupation force said that the company will build power and water facilities, worth $34.6 million, further expected to grow to $680 million. The company literally reaped a huge windfall, a word that came from `a piece of fruit having fallen off a tree due to strong winds.`

The reconstruction of Iraq is expected to be worth up to $200 billion. There will be more windfalls ahead. Bechtel is, in fact, the only one that won an oil reconstruction contract in Kuwait after the Gulf War in 1991. There are images of American tanks rolling down the street destroying buildings and roads with Bechtel behind them waiting for a turn.

While Iraqis are suffering from the war and its total destruction, American firms are enjoying the windfalls. This is the reality we face. Corporate America is free to dig up remains to find their windfall, but Iraqi people will continue to be exposed to death and losses. SARS, a deadly respiratory virus sweeping Southeast Asia, is causing many deaths, too. A woman in Hong Kong died after refusing to get treated for the virus. She did so to save her unborn child, but the baby will have to live on without her mother. Chinese President Hu Jintao belatedly declared `a war on SARS` yesterday and told health authorities to stop hiding the facts from people. SARS fears, however, are not likely to go away any time soon.

We hear windfall stories in this country, too. A man became the winner of the 30 billion won Lotto lottery. The lucky ex-policeman disappeared with his family after winning the prize and we do not know whether he is just so happy after the windfall or he feels so insecure that he decided to leave his life here. Living in a so-called global age, we now can see happiness and misery in others in real time even if they are far from us. The question here is whether to pursue a windfall at any cost or to stay out of danger feeling grateful for what we have, as little as it may be.

Bang Hyung-nam, Editorial Writer, hnbhang@donga.com