tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post808254605047869687..comments2024-02-29T12:38:32.191-08:00Comments on MUSINGS ON IRAQ: Nov. 09 Sees Lowest Death Count Since U.S. InvasionJoel Winghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-43743208238047631552009-12-03T09:20:54.152-08:002009-12-03T09:20:54.152-08:00Good question amagi
it doesn't get reported a...Good question amagi<br /><br />it doesn't get reported a lot but many militia and insurgent groups have turned into criminal gangs. I remember when the US took over Basra from the British and a US officer said he couldn't tell whether much of the violence there was the work of militias or just gangs trying to intimidate people.<br /><br />I think Iraq still has an unacceptable level of violence, but outside of Mosul it seems Iraqis are moving on because much of the country doesn't have many attacks. The insurgency today is largely reduced to terrorist attacks, which will probably last for years, buy is affecting less and less people thankfully.<br /><br />On the negative side the reduction of violence brings the political and economic issues to the fore and Iraq is looking to be a pretty typical dysfunctional Third World country. Nigeria might be a good comparison with it's oil wealth but lack of development, corruption, smuggling, etc.Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-20899718137431444582009-12-03T08:27:28.549-08:002009-12-03T08:27:28.549-08:00If the attack in the Kurdish region is the same as...If the attack in the Kurdish region is the same as the one I'm thinking of, it seems to have been Yazidi-on-Yazidi. Not for nothing, but when do the casualty metrics stop being war statistics and start being crime statistics?<br /><br />I think it's safe to say that all, or nearly all, of the bombings are politically motivated and the same goes for targeted assassinations, but I often wonder about the 'gunmen' claims. After all, most large U.S. cities, for instance, have their fair share of gunmen over the course of a year.<br /><br />I'm not grinding a particular axe so much as wondering what 'nominal' if not 'acceptable' levels of violence would/will look like for Iraq.amaginoreply@blogger.com