[Dean's World] Dave Price: Planes, Trains, And Insurgents

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Planes, Trains, And Insurgents
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1203615449.shtml


   Iraq will [1]purchase some new aircraft for its national airline, as
   decreased violence is leading to increased travel:

     Iraq announced Tuesday it will buy 40 new aircraft from US
     manufacturer Boeing plus another six from Canadian firm Bombadier
     to revitalise an ailing fleet depleted by UN sanctions.

   And in another benefit from the surge, [2]train service has resumed
   between Iraq's two major cities.

     The service between Baghdad and Basra resumed with little fanfare
     in December after a hiatus of 18 months. Few dared use it at first,
     but word has spread of a safe and cheap journey, and railway
     officials are scrambling for funds for more carriages.
     "There's been a great acceptance of the service ... People do not
     feel anxious. They're coming with their families," said Abdul-Ameen
     Mahmoud, the railway company's head of passenger transport.
     ...
     Aboard the diesel-powered train, passengers settled in for the
     trip, oblivious to whether fellow travelers were Sunni or Shi'ite.
     Women jiggled children on their knees and men chatted as the
     gleaming carriages pulled away from a spotless Baghdad platform, a
     picture of cleanliness and order in a country racked by chaos.

   The big news is the imminent expiration of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army
   ceasefire, but this is a bit of a non-issue as officials in his camp
   are [3]already signalling it will be extended. Sadr knows which way
   the wind is blowing, and armed insurrection will only make him as
   unpopular among Shias as Al Qaeda has become in Anbar. The delay in
   extending the agreement is just a political poker chip; the longer he
   waits the more promises he can extract.

References

   1. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJZUJk3ydaRyO0bdVq_vPKeWIu4A
   2. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080221/lf_nm/iraq_trains_dc_3;_ylt=Aj1vmqPPHvHy_inPP9D_yChX6GMA
   3. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/iraq_dc;_ylt=AvXPlje9jCV5cVn7QdHuFvVX6GMA