Look at any map of maritime shipping routes and there are two geographically ideal ports for Iraq-bound goods: Umm Qasr for ships from Asia, and Lattakia/Tartus in Syria for cargo from Europe, the Americas and Africa. Maps, however, do not convey the realities on the ground, with the obvious points of entry to Iraq fraught with complications. Umm Qasr’s ports are in a state of infrastructural disarray, shippers report corruption and theft, and some $13 billion is needed for the first stage of a the new ‘Larger Port’. Further billions are needed for the new Al-Faw port, and the other four harbors in the Shatt al-Arab all require serious upgrades. Kuwait, a potential contender for major trade hub status with Iraq, is currently hampered by customs, high taxation and foreign ownership issues in addition to inadequate port facilities, although the development of the $1.2 billion Bubiyan island port facility will
