mob rule
Charles Johnson
Thu May 16, 2002 at 11:18 am PDT • Views: 154
Illan Berman writes about the rogue regime of Yasser Arafat: Gangster Governance.
Back in 1997, amid growing pressure for accountability, Arafat authorized an internal audit to assuage international donors. What the review found was remarkable: a whopping $326 million (more than 40 percent of the total PA budget for that year) could not be accounted for because of rampant corruption. Subsequently, much of the graft was traced back to Palestinian officials in key ministerial posts. Instead of instituting real reform, Arafat responded with a cabinet reshuffle that actually strengthened his grip on power — adding ten new ministers, all from his Fatah branch of the PLO, to the government. Needless to say, subsequent reform efforts have been cosmetic at best.
Frank says: