Saturday, March 17, 2007

Good News From The Times of London

Iraqis: life is getting better

Marie Colvin

MOST Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today.

The survey of more than 5,000 Iraqis found the majority optimistic despite their suffering in sectarian violence since the American-led invasion four years ago this week.

One in four Iraqis has had a family member murdered, says the poll by Opinion Research Business. In Baghdad, the capital, one in four has had a relative kidnapped and one in three said members of their family had fled abroad. But when asked whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today.

Only 27% think there is a civil war in Iraq, compared with 61% who do not, according to the survey carried out last month.

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By a majority of two to one, Iraqis believe military operations now under way will disarm all militias. More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces.

Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, said the findings pointed to progress. “There is no widespread violence in the four southern provinces and the fact that the picture is more complex than the stereotype usually portrayed is reflected in today’s poll,” she said.

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6 comments:

Abouna said...

Bet ya the Libs won't believe this study. They will have to spin it and twist it every which way but loose.

Anonymous said...

You never hear what the Iraqis have to say about the war taking place in their country in the drive-by media; we only ever hear what people who know nothing about the war think about it.

Anonymous said...

"whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today."

But isn't that like a homeless person who still wakes up broke in a pool of his own vomit saying that he prefers his life now to his life before the pimp who used to beat him died?

Unknown said...

So fucking what? I don't give a rat's ass whether LIFE is better for Iraqi civilians now. Once again, we are not, nor should we ever be, the world's policeman, protector or patriarch. I care deeply, however, as to whether WE are safer. Safety and peace for Iraqis DOES NOT NECESSARILY EQUAL safety and peace for the United States. It didn't take a very large political structure to take down the World Trade Center and it won't take more than a handful of terrorists to strike again. What it will take is a lot of money, and our presence in Iraq is still the No. 1 terrorism fund-raising tool.

Studies like this are only trumpeted by the war-mongering right as a way of justifying a dishonest and unjustifiable war. Where are we going next my friends? Sudan? Zimbawbe? How about Myanmar or North Korea? I'm sure those people would love to live without their dictatorships as well, recently ranked among the top 5 worst in the world.

It's funny though...we are not only NOT preparing to invade these countries, we ARE GIVING THEM ECONOMIC AID. Brilliant!

Maybe...just maybe...this has something to do with those countries not having oil...hmmmm...oh right, we're not supposed to use the "O" word in connection with Iraq b/c it's all about Freedom (all we need is The Hof in that leather jacket with the blinking lights). Uh...huh, and I'm sure the Bush Administration is still accepting ebay bids on a certain bridge in Brooklyn.

Anonymous said...

Of course you don't "give a rat's ass" about life for the Iraqi's, because the truth is that even if the violence in Iraq stops and the nation becomes a shining example of Democracy, you on the left will never have the itellectual honesty to say that anything that the administration ever did in the reigon was sucessfull.

Nor do the Democrats understand the role that Rougue regimes play in destablizing the reigon and funding and promoting terrorism of all kinds.

Unknown said...

When Iraq becomes the United States of the Middle East...a shining example of democracy...you and I will go drinking, your choice, on me.

Of course we'll have to come up with a definition for "shining example" first. ha.