US Intervention in Iraq
The following excerpt is from The Tenuous Case for Strategic Patience in Iraq, A Trip Report, by Anthony H. Cordesman, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Mr Cordesman made a trip to Iraq prior to publishing his report. To see the full report in PFD format go here.
“The US intervention in Iraq has driven more than two million Iraqis out of the country, including much of its most educated and professional citizens. It has displaced over two million more Iraqis inside Iraq, many of which have lost their homes and their businesses and jobs. Estimates of the total percent of underemployment and unemployment exceed 50% in virtually all of the country.
The number of Iraqi civilian dead now total at least 100,000, and no one knows how many have been wounded. Basic services, infrastructure, and security do not exist in many areas, and sectarian and ethnic cleansing continue in much of the country, including the area around Baghdad and virtually every area with mixed Sunni and Shi’ite populations.
Various estimates put the number of Iraqis that have suffered severe hardship as a result of the war and its aftermath at close to 8 million and rising — although such estimates are really “guesstimates†at best.”
One has to wonder how these facts will compare to the almost certain rosy assessment of conditions in Iraq soon to be delivered by the ever optimistic and career advancement ambitious General David Petraeus. I guess that in September when the General’s report is due we will know.
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Posted in Iraq War