Editing Puppet state (section)

===United States===
* {{flag|Republic of Iraq|2004}} ([[Iraqi Interim Government|Interim Government]] and [[Coalition Provisional Authority]]) – Critics of the Iraqi Interim Government argued that it existed only at the pleasure of the United States and other coalition countries and considered it a U.S. puppet government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iraqis rise up against 16 years of 'made in the USA' corruption |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/iraqis-rise-against-16-years-made-usa-corruption/ |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=openDemocracy |language=en}}</ref> This criticism was also extended to politicians active within the Interim Government, with the media suggesting that [[Ayad Allawi]], was Washington's puppet.<ref>{{cite news | title=Iraq's New S.O.B. | work=[[Newsweek]] | date=July 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/26/opinion/26dowd.html?_r=0|title=Dance of the Marionettes|last=Dowd|first=Maureen|author-link=Maureen Dowd|date=26 September 2004|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=16 January 2024}}</ref> The CPA's economy was dominated by American influence. The CPA began to [[Economic reform of Iraq|dismantle Iraq's centrally planned economy]]. [[Paul Bremer]], chief executive of the CPA, planned to restructure Iraq's state owned economy with [[free market]] thinking. Bremer dropped the [[corporate tax]] rate from around 45% to a [[flat tax]] rate of 15% and allowed foreign corporations to [[Repatriation|repatriate]] all profits earned in Iraq. Opposition from senior Iraqi officials, together with the poor security situation, meant that Bremer's privatisation plan was not implemented during his tenure,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/05/world/struggle-for-iraq-northern-region-kurdish-region-northern-iraq-will-get-keep.html?scp=3&sq=privatization&st=nyt | work=The New York Times | title=The Struggle for Iraq: Northern Region; Kurdish Region in Northern Iraq Will Get to Keep Special Status | first=Steven R. | last=Weisman | date=2004-01-05}}</ref> though his orders remained in place. CPA Order 39 laid out the framework for full privatisation in Iraq and permitted 100% foreign ownership of Iraqi assets and strengthened the positions of foreign businesses and investors. Critics like [[Naomi Klein]] argued that CPA Order 39 was designed to create as favourable an environment for foreign investors as possible, which would allow U.S. corporations to dominate Iraq's economy.<ref name="shock">[[The Shock Doctrine]], [[Naomi Klein]]</ref> Also controversial was [[Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17|CPA Order 17]] which granted all foreign contractors operating in Iraq [[Legal immunity|immunity]] from "Iraqi [[legal process]]," effectively granting immunity from any kind of suit, civil or criminal, for actions the contractors engaged in within Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20040627_CPAORD_17_Status_of_Coalition__Rev__with_Annex_A.pdf |title=iraqcoalition.org/~Status_of_Coalition_Rev_with_Annex_A.pdf |access-date=16 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040701202703/http://iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20040627_CPAORD_17_Status_of_Coalition__Rev__with_Annex_A.pdf |archive-date=2004-07-01 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> CPA Order 49 also provided significant [[tax cut]]s for corporations operating within Iraq by reducing the rate from a maximum of 40% to a maximum of just 15% on income. Furthermore, corporations who collaborated with the CPA were [[tax exemption|exempted]] from having to pay any tax.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20040220_CPAORD_49_Tax_Strategy_of_2004_with_Annex_and_Ex_Note.pdf |title=iraqcoalition.org/~Tax_Strategy_of_2004_with_Annex_and_Ex_Note.pdf |access-date=16 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165636/http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20040220_CPAORD_49_Tax_Strategy_of_2004_with_Annex_and_Ex_Note.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>