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In March, USAID handed Stevedoring Services of America a $4.8 million contract to run the Iraqi port Umm Qsar. According to Philip Mattera of the Corporate Research Project, SSA played the central role in the lockout of dock workers on the US west coast of the US in 2002, in an attempt to destroy the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. During that dispute, the Bush regime intervened on the side of the bosses.

ABT Associates

Massachusetts-based ABT Associates received a $10 million contract from USAID on April 30 to restore Iraq's shattered health infrastructure. ABT has been associated with the US defence establishment since the company's founding in 1965. Most infamously, it helped develop the Pentagon's Politica, a computer-based social and political simulation tool. According to Daniel Del Solar, one of Politica's developers, the tool played a role in the CIA's decision to launch the bloody 1973 military coup that overthrew the left-wing Chilean President Salvador Allende.

Skylink Air

A $2.5 million contract airport management and administration was awarded to SkyLink Air and Logistic Support (USA) Inc by USAID on May 7. According to the May 7 Washington Post, the company was incorporated in the US in 1998 — a year after Skylink Aviation Inc, based in Canada, was banned from receiving UN transport contracts. The 1997 ban was a result of accusations that Skylink was manipulating the bidding process. The UN had also banned it in 1993, citing safety concerns.

Creative Associates International

On April 11, Creative Associates International "won" a contract to construct a new primary and secondary education system in Iraq. The contract is worth up to $62.6 million. CAI's past clients include the military junta that overthrew the elected government of Haiti in 1991, in a US-backed coup.

Grace News Network

Washington's new Arabic-language satellite service station for Iraq is being produced by Grace Digital Media, an off-shoot of the Grace News Network. Grace is controlled by fundamentalist Christian tycoon Cheryl Reagan (the "Grace" in the company's name refers to "the grace of God"). According to its web site, Grace is "dedicated to transmitting the evidence of God's presence in the world today" and is "a unique tool in the Lord's ministry plan for the world". Grace CEO is Thorne Auchter, who served in the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush senior.