Our
View: Diamonds in Iraq’s rough
It
has been an exceedingly painful month in
Iraq. It has been, plainly stated, a war.
Images of the charred corpses of American
contractors, sadistic acts of torture and
humiliation in prisons, and day-to-day street
violence have permeated our consciousness.
In
light of this, there is no better time to
reflect on the successes of the Iraq mission,
an area that has certainly gotten short
shrift as of late.
First,
there are the various reconstruction efforts.
It should be said that reconstruction is
something of a misnomer since it implies
a purely physical endeavor and also suggests
that a given infrastructure or service was
present prior to the invasion. Additionally,
the comparison of the present quality and
quantity of goods and services to “prewar”
levels can be misleading, since 13 years
of sanctions caused Iraq’s economy
to become anything but bountiful.
That
said, the coalition has made some impressive
strides, especially in light of the enormity
of the task before it. In terms of utilities,
electricity and clean water are both more
abundantly available than they were before
the war. Oil production has increased markedly,
and stood at 2.1 million barrels a day as
of January, the last month for which the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
has released figures.
With
respect to health, the United States Agency
for International Development reports that
more than three million children had been
vaccinated by April during national immunization
days.
A
major achievement, and one which has gone
almost entirely unreported, is the awarding
of grants totaling more than $20 million
to encourage partnerships between American
and Iraqi universities. The sharing of higher
education knowledge and students is vital
to creating the type of understanding so
desperately needed among the disparate cultures
of the West and the Middle East.
Somewhat
less glamorous is the reconfiguration and
rehabilitation of Iraq’s monetary
system. This area is essential for the flowering
and diversification of Iraq’s economy.
Moreover, economic stability ideally will
create the sort of ties that will make Iraq
a dedicated world partner and influential
regional power.
Last,
hundreds of decision-making bodies, ranging
from about 20 regional governorate councils
down to nearly 400 neighborhood councils,
have helped to plant the seeds of federalism.
Few things could be as politically imperative
in a country fractured along ethnic and
religious lines and once forced together
under the umbrella of dictatorship.
The
work done by the coalition is not unappreciated,
either, regardless of how loudly the actions
of a violent minority may speak. An ABC
News poll conducted in March reported that
56 percent of Iraqis said that their lives
were better than before the war, while another
23 percent said things were going worse.
As
for their prospects for the future, 71 percent
said their lives would be even better in
a year, and 9 percent said things would
probably be the same. Only 7 percent expected
things to worsen.
The
presentation of this data is not intended
to justify the war. Some people will always
regard Americans as imperialist infidels
regardless of progress in Iraq. Some will
see the invasion as an unjustified aggression
that has cost far too many lives on each
side.
Some
will maintain their support for the war
regardless of progress or the death toll.
Some will support it no matter the financial
cost.
But
as journalists, we feel we have a responsibility
to report on everything important we know
— the good and the bad, the dramatic
and the mundane. We urge all other members
of the press to do the same.
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