[Dean's World] Dave Price: Iraqis Say Life Better Since Invasion, No Civil War

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Iraqis Say Life Better Since Invasion, No Civil War
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1174198781.shtml


   By [1]two to one:

     Yet 49% of those questioned preferred life under Nouri al-Maliki,
     the prime minister, to living under Saddam. Only 26% said things
     had been better in Saddamâs era, while 16% said the two leaders
     were as bad as each other and the rest did not know or refused to
     answer.

   And that "civil war" all over the Western press? Three quarters of
   Iraqis don't see it. Naturally, the media is shocked:

     Another surprise was that only 27% believed they were caught up in
     a civil war.

   But hey, what do they know, they only live there. The perplexity
   continues:

     âWeâve been polling in Iraq since 2005 and the finding that most
     surprised us was how many Iraqis expressed support for the present
     government,â said Johnny Heald, managing director of ORB. âGiven
     the level of violence in Iraq, it shows an unexpected level of
     optimism.â

   I guess Iraqis don't read the NYT or watch BBC.
   This survey quite emphatically gives the lie to the oft-asserted
   notion that the invasion has made things worse for Iraqis. Everyone
   who supported removing Saddam should be proud that our soldiers have
   accomplished something Iraqis overwhelmingly say made their lives
   better. Pessimists and war critics often forget [2]just how much
   things have [3]changed in Iraq.

References

   1. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1530526.ece
   2. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1162490209.shtml
   3. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1170884980.shtml#saddam