We are not losing the peace in Iraq. It is important to keep the Iraq news, as reported by the traditional media, in perspective.
Last Wednesday, Josh Chafetz, of OxBlog, spoke at the Oxford Union's debate on Iraq. He spoke against the resolution, "This House believes that we are losing the Peace."
Chafetz began his remarks with a reference to the January 26, 1946 Saturday Evening Post headline, "How We Botched the German Occupation."
In his speech, Chafetz makes these points offering a more optimistic perspective:
There have been three independent opinion polls conducted in Iraq since the end of the war, all of which show Iraqis are overwhelmingly optimistic and welcoming of the coalition presence.
There has been no flow of refugees out of the country. To the contrary, Iraqis have returned from exile in Syria, Jordan, and the West.
Electricity generation is now at or above pre-war levels.
Schools have all re-opened, many of them refurbished by coalition forces. New textbooks are being used, and lessons no longer begin with the chanting of praise for Saddam.
Hospitals have been improved and re-opened. An estimated 3 million of the 4.3 million Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received vaccinations.
Civil society is blooming and the groundwork for democracy is being laid. De-Ba'athification is being successfully carried out across the country, with former party members being removed from positions of military and civilian authority. There are approximately 170 newspapers, covering an entire spectrum of ideas. Neighborhood councils have been set up in most cities and towns, and local mayors and councils run day-to-day affairs.
Oil production is back to pre-war levels.
We have not lost the peace in Iraq any more than we lost the peace in Europe or Japan in 1946.
Comments