[Mb-civic] NYTimes.com Article: Op-Chart: The State of Iraq: An Update

[michael at intrafi.com]

The article below from NYTimes.com 
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Op-Chart: The State of Iraq: An Update

November 26, 2004
 By ADRIANA LINS de ALBUQUERQUE, MICHAEL O'HANLON and AMY UNIKEWICZ 



 

Two months before Iraq is scheduled to hold its nationwide
elections, how are things going? After the bloody assault
on Falluja, in which some 50 United States troops and many
times that number of insurgents died, no American needs to
be reminded that the situation is very difficult. In fact,
while the Falluja operation could have some eventual
benefits, we cannot yet identify any objective measure of
sustained progress in increasing Iraqi security. 

Other recent trends are somewhat more encouraging: foreign
aid is beginning to be spent more quickly, even if much of
it is being directed toward security rather than rebuilding
cities and towns; Iraqi security forces are now being
trained more rigorously - and they're beginning to perform
better on the battlefield; the overall quality of public
services may finally be inching ahead of late-Saddam
Hussein levels; the transfer of sovereignty to the interim
Iraqi government has continued to deflect some of the
anti-American anger on the street; and Iraqis are for the
most part bullish on their future. 

On the other hand, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's popularity
has fallen in recent months, unemployment rates remain far
too high, insurgents continue to attack oil pipelines and
police stations, and Iraqi security forces still cannot
begin to take the major responsibility for combating the
insurgents. 

On balance, the data show that security trends in Iraq are
generally poor, economic trends are promising but glacial
in pace, and political trends are hopeful but fragile. 

Adriana Lins de Albuquerque and Michael O'Hanlon are,
respectively, a senior research assistant and a senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Amy
Unikewicz is a graphic designer in South Norwalk, Conn. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/26/opinion/26ohanlon.html?ex=1102491976&ei=1&en=1aee5ee730c4d14d


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