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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Hawkmoon who wrote (138212)6/28/2004 2:53:09 PM
From: Win Smith  Respond to of 281500
 
Yes, well, since you're into the broad hints today, I thought I'd drop in a little guess on the kinds of Iraqis you've been talking to.

Middle East diplomats and former C.I.A. operatives who now consult in Baghdad have told me that many wealthy Iraqi businessmen and their families have deserted Baghdad in recent weeks in anticipation of continued, and perhaps heightened, suicide attacks and terror bombings after June 30th. “We’ll see Christians, Shiites, and Sunnis getting out,” Michel Samaha, the Lebanese Minister of Information, reported. “What the resistance is doing is targeting the poor people who run the bureaucracy—those who can’t afford to pay for private guards. A month ago, friends of mine who are important landowners in Iraq came to Baghdad to do business. The cost of one day’s security was about twelve thousand dollars.” newyorker.com

Somehow, I don't think the Iraqis you speak with are totally representative of the general population, more likely the $12k / day crowd, but that's just a guess.