"I would say in 14 Provinces the Iraqi's are FAR better off. In 2 Providences its so-so. In 2 Provinces it sucks."
Guess the answer to that question depends on who you ask, where they are, and when the question gets answered....
After all, a question now is just a snapshot in time --- only the long term situation can answer your question.
Obviously to the GOOD is that the nation is no longer trod on by the heel of a murderous Dictator (still... if you were one of the elites who profited from Baathist Sunni rule, lording it over the downtrodden remaining 80% of the population... you might be longing for the 'good old days'....)
On the other hand, the child death rate has skyrocketed from those days, unemployment is well above 50%, religious fundamentalists are on the move again in certain parts of the country (religious militia have taken over in Basra, for example), oil sales are about half what they were in pre-war days and some of the oil fields may be suffering permanent damage right now because they are being pumped 'willy-nilly' without the needed water injection to maintain the underground structures, and the risk of random bombings and murder are ever-present... so, obviously, things ain't necessarily great right now. (Still, that does depend a lot on where you are, as I indicated above. In the Kurdish areas they are maintaining the same level of relative prosperity and peace that they have had since protection began being offered by the no-fly zone.)
Your question can only be answered by how people are in the LONG TERM....
My position is that things can't be clarified (necessary before they can improve) until the civil war is fought and settled... likely causing the Sunni to split off from the rest of "Iraq", and the Kurds and Shia to actually have their own 'mini-states', though likely in a loose confederation for protection.
Trying to use US troops to hold this unnatural mess together would be insane. (But pulling out... while still offering aid would be smart.) |
