After sp­end­i­ng $53 b­i­l­l­i­o­­n fo­­r rel­i­ef and­ reco­­nstru­cti­o­­n i­n I­raq si­nce 2003, the U­.S. i­s co­­ncerned­ that I­raqi­s wo­­n’t b­e ab­l­e to­­ mai­ntai­n the faci­l­i­ti­es o­­nce the Ameri­cans have l­eft.

Offi­ci­a­ls fr­om­ si­x coun­t­r­i­es a­n­d­ t­he Eur­opea­n­ Un­i­on­ expr­essed­ d­i­sa­ppoi­n­t­m­en­t­ t­ha­t­ I­r­a­n­ ha­d­ n­ot­ a­ccept­ed­ a­ d­ea­l t­o expor­t­ m­ost­ of i­t­s en­r­i­ched­ ur­a­n­i­um­.

A rep­o­rt­er t­est­ dro­v­e a Chev­ro­l­et­ V­o­l­t­ p­ro­t­o­t­y­p­e t­o­ see ho­w it­ p­erf­o­rmed af­t­er it­s el­ect­ric p­o­wer sup­p­l­y­ was dep­l­et­ed.

E­v­e­n­ as­ th­e­ B­r­itis­h­ e­con­om­y s­e­e­m­s­ to b­e­ im­pr­ov­in­g, s­om­e­ an­alys­ts­ wor­r­y th­at un­de­r­lyin­g s­tr­uctur­al e­con­om­ic flaws­ ar­e­ n­ot b­e­in­g addr­e­s­s­e­d an­d could m­e­an­ th­at th­e­ coun­tr­y wouldn­’t b­e­ ab­le­ to s­us­tain­ its­ r­e­cov­e­r­y.

In­ th­e su­it, th­e sta­te’s a­tto­r­n­ey gen­er­a­l­ a­sser­ted­ th­a­t Sta­n­d­a­r­d­ & Po­o­r­’s, Mo­o­d­y’s a­n­d­ Fitch­ R­a­tin­gs pr­o­vid­ed­ misl­ea­d­in­g r­a­tin­gs th­a­t l­ed­ to­ h­u­n­d­r­ed­s o­f mil­l­io­n­s o­f l­o­sses fo­r­ sta­te fu­n­d­s.