Monday, August 01, 2005
Good news from Iraq, Part 32: The digest
Arthur Chrenkoff has posted the latest installment in his "good news from Iraq" series, which tracks underreported or unreported good news from that country. Since everybody doesn't have the time or inclination to read Chrenkoff's massive output, though, we offer this "digest" as a service to our loyal readers.
Chaldean Bishop Monsignor Rabban al Qas was recently asked the following question by a foreign journalist: "Twenty-three Iraqis are killed every day in Iraq. Nearly two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, there is no security as yet. Is there still hope in Iraq?" His reply:
Voter registration for the September elections begins shortly, with the objective of folding in Sunnis who boycotted last time. Leading Sunni clerics and tribal leaders are calling on Sunnis to participate. Arthur has lots of links detailing foreign and domestic support for the constitution project. Civil society in Iraq is germinating, with all sorts of grassroots political organization, municipal democracy and new media.
Beneath the bombings, life very much goes on. Iraq's domestic soccer clubs have now played a complete season, and annointed their first post-Saddam national championship. People are gathering in large crowds to watch soccer, notwithstanding the insurgency's proclivity to attack knots of civilians. Compelling evidence in and of itself that Iraq is not the one-dimensional space portrayed by the Western media.
The Iraqi economy is showing demonstrable strength.
Unemployment continues to be a problem, at 27 percent. This is still down significantly from two years ago. It also explains, I might add, how an economy can grow 80% in two years and see its currency strengthen -- there is still a lot of slack.
Chrenkoff has lots of links about the growth of Iraq's banking sector, including significant investments by HSBC and Standard Chartered. More tellingly, foreign direct investment from Arab countries is beginning to pour in, notwithstanding the manifest ambition of the insurgency to scare away investment and destroy the Iraqi economy. Egyptian billionaire "Najib Sawiros said he intends to invest up to $2.5 billion in projects in Iraq despite security challenges and dangers." Big private investment is also coming from Kuwait and Lebanon.
The stable currency, I might add, will go a long way to encouraging more direct investment, which is powerful evidence that large parts of Iraq are coming back strongly. Private foreign direct investment is the canary in the coal mine of politics. The more Arab businessmen who invest in Iraq, the more optimistic we should be.
Iraqi Airways is coming back, with flights to Amman, Damascus (ouch!), Istanbul, Cairo and Dubai. There has also been a recovery in domestic air service, and Chrenkoff has lots of links about new airports and air service to Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraq's energy sector continues to receive investment, including a $1 billion investment from Iran. Good. That's a huge commitment from the Iranians, and it strongly suggests that they would prefer stability in Iraq to chaos. The American Army Corps of Engineers is about to finish construction of a power generating station that will increase national electricity capacity by ten percent.
Chrenkoff has lots o' links to progress in the reconstruction of Iraq, including particularly the purification of water -- Sadr City is the recipient of almost $2 billion in water projects -- and Iraqi education. More than 1500 university professors who had been banned under Saddam have been rehabilited and are back at work.
One of the great projects post-Saddam is the restoration of the vast Iraqi marshes, ancient home of the Marsh Arabs. Saddam drained the marshes to fight insurgents, and thereby destroyed one of Iraq's most important ecosystems and the home of hundreds of thousands of people.
There are many links to stories about humanitarian projects in Iraq, including from American businesses, churches and charities.
The Army Corps is reconstructing Najaf, and building an all-female police station:
The Romanians are training the new Iraqi army, and the Italians are building a cultural center in Nasiriyah. Better than the other way around, I suppose.
In many ways the most encouraging news in Arthur's entire report is that there continues to be a flood of new recruits for the Iraqi army and police. No matter how many the insurgents kill, they keep on coming. If you are cynical about the new government in Iraq -- and the odds are very low that you have read this far if you are -- you have to explain why so many people think it is worth fighting for.
There are many more links on the progress of the Iraqi military and police, most of which do not seem to be press releases from Donald Rumsfeld's office. Yet more encouraging, Arthur has many examples of Iraqi civilians cooperating in efforts to target insurgents. One example, of many:
The good news in such stories has less to do with the specific tactical achievement than with the attitude it implies: when civilians cooperate with the counterinsurgency, it is because they no longer fear reprisal from the insurgency.
As always, Arthur has a huge number of links to stories of Coalition military successes. They are each interesting in and of themselves, but together they may not add up to the "good news" that Arthur implies. They create the impression that the insurgency is bottomless in its resources. This cannot be true, but it is obviously that ultimate victory will not rest exclusively on force of arms.
Chaldean Bishop Monsignor Rabban al Qas was recently asked the following question by a foreign journalist: "Twenty-three Iraqis are killed every day in Iraq. Nearly two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, there is no security as yet. Is there still hope in Iraq?" His reply:
What the media portray is true: explosions, killings, attacks. But if you see how much order, discipline, transport, displacements, and work have improved, there is a change for the better compared to one or two years ago. Now people understand there is a government, the structure of a new state. Thousands and thousands of allied and Iraqi soldiers are present. There is a constitution which is being drawn up, laws are being enacted.
The presence of authority is recognised. This was not the case before. And Al-Qaeda integralists and terrorists coming from abroad seek to penetrate Iraq precisely to destroy the beginnings of this social organization.
Voter registration for the September elections begins shortly, with the objective of folding in Sunnis who boycotted last time. Leading Sunni clerics and tribal leaders are calling on Sunnis to participate. Arthur has lots of links detailing foreign and domestic support for the constitution project. Civil society in Iraq is germinating, with all sorts of grassroots political organization, municipal democracy and new media.
Beneath the bombings, life very much goes on. Iraq's domestic soccer clubs have now played a complete season, and annointed their first post-Saddam national championship. People are gathering in large crowds to watch soccer, notwithstanding the insurgency's proclivity to attack knots of civilians. Compelling evidence in and of itself that Iraq is not the one-dimensional space portrayed by the Western media.
The Iraqi economy is showing demonstrable strength.
GDP growth was estimated at 54 percent in 2004. This year is also expected to be strong, with GDP growth predicted at 34 percent.
Iraq's "New Dinar" currency, introduced in 2003, has been performing strongly, appreciating by about 25 percent against the dollar in the past two years.
Unemployment continues to be a problem, at 27 percent. This is still down significantly from two years ago. It also explains, I might add, how an economy can grow 80% in two years and see its currency strengthen -- there is still a lot of slack.
Chrenkoff has lots of links about the growth of Iraq's banking sector, including significant investments by HSBC and Standard Chartered. More tellingly, foreign direct investment from Arab countries is beginning to pour in, notwithstanding the manifest ambition of the insurgency to scare away investment and destroy the Iraqi economy. Egyptian billionaire "Najib Sawiros said he intends to invest up to $2.5 billion in projects in Iraq despite security challenges and dangers." Big private investment is also coming from Kuwait and Lebanon.
The stable currency, I might add, will go a long way to encouraging more direct investment, which is powerful evidence that large parts of Iraq are coming back strongly. Private foreign direct investment is the canary in the coal mine of politics. The more Arab businessmen who invest in Iraq, the more optimistic we should be.
Iraqi Airways is coming back, with flights to Amman, Damascus (ouch!), Istanbul, Cairo and Dubai. There has also been a recovery in domestic air service, and Chrenkoff has lots of links about new airports and air service to Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraq's energy sector continues to receive investment, including a $1 billion investment from Iran. Good. That's a huge commitment from the Iranians, and it strongly suggests that they would prefer stability in Iraq to chaos. The American Army Corps of Engineers is about to finish construction of a power generating station that will increase national electricity capacity by ten percent.
Chrenkoff has lots o' links to progress in the reconstruction of Iraq, including particularly the purification of water -- Sadr City is the recipient of almost $2 billion in water projects -- and Iraqi education. More than 1500 university professors who had been banned under Saddam have been rehabilited and are back at work.
One of the great projects post-Saddam is the restoration of the vast Iraqi marshes, ancient home of the Marsh Arabs. Saddam drained the marshes to fight insurgents, and thereby destroyed one of Iraq's most important ecosystems and the home of hundreds of thousands of people.
There are many links to stories about humanitarian projects in Iraq, including from American businesses, churches and charities.
The Army Corps is reconstructing Najaf, and building an all-female police station:
An Iraqi female police station tops the list of more than a dozen active construction and planned projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South District in Najaf.
The female police facility will be used to train female cadets to properly search other females at the many checkpoints and security stops throughout Iraq. The contract for the facility is expected to be awarded by the middle of July and carries a price tag of about $150,000.
The Romanians are training the new Iraqi army, and the Italians are building a cultural center in Nasiriyah. Better than the other way around, I suppose.
In many ways the most encouraging news in Arthur's entire report is that there continues to be a flood of new recruits for the Iraqi army and police. No matter how many the insurgents kill, they keep on coming. If you are cynical about the new government in Iraq -- and the odds are very low that you have read this far if you are -- you have to explain why so many people think it is worth fighting for.
There are many more links on the progress of the Iraqi military and police, most of which do not seem to be press releases from Donald Rumsfeld's office. Yet more encouraging, Arthur has many examples of Iraqi civilians cooperating in efforts to target insurgents. One example, of many:
A group of Iraqis stopped a Task Force Baghdad unit patrolling in southeast Baghdad July 15 and told the Soldiers they’d found some weapons.
The patrol followed the Iraqis to the site and found two mortar tubes and three base plates, one rocket-propelled grenade launcher, 17 mortar rounds, 39 artillery rounds and 25 boxes of hand grenades
The good news in such stories has less to do with the specific tactical achievement than with the attitude it implies: when civilians cooperate with the counterinsurgency, it is because they no longer fear reprisal from the insurgency.
As always, Arthur has a huge number of links to stories of Coalition military successes. They are each interesting in and of themselves, but together they may not add up to the "good news" that Arthur implies. They create the impression that the insurgency is bottomless in its resources. This cannot be true, but it is obviously that ultimate victory will not rest exclusively on force of arms.
2 Comments:
By 
Gordon Smith, at
Mon Aug 01, 07:46:00 AM:
By 
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