All Aboard for the Baghdad Morgue

According to an article in the New York Times today there were 3,438 civilians killed in Iraq during the month of July, 2006. More than half of that number were killed in Baghdad. Most of these are the victims of the sectarian violence that the Iraqi government, with increased numbers of American troops in support, have not been able to control, contain, or diminish.

The figures were compiled by the Iraqi Health Ministry and the Baghdad Morgue. The July figure represents a 9% increase over the figures for June.


So much for "Mission Accomplished".



The same issue of the New York Times carries a report of a meeting that President Bush called of his War cabinet and several outside experts. During this meeting the president expressed the view, "the Shia-led government needs to clearly and publicly express the same appreciation for United States efforts and sacrifices as they do in private."

Mr Bush also expressed disappointment and puzzlement that 10,000 Iraqi Shias had attended a rally and demonstrated in support of Hezbollahah and against the United States. He wants the Iraqi people to "..get more on board to bring success."

But what exactly is "success"? Does Mr Bush see a future Iraq as a beacon of democracy that the whole of the Middle-East will willingly emulate? Does he honestly believe that, through his policies of war and occupation, he is "liberating" the Iraqi people? Does he truly believe that the Iraqi people, who are dying in their thousands, will applaud and be grateful for his intervention?

I think he does. Pity.

As Iraq sinks ever more quickly and surely into civil war, Mr Bush will find that he will become even more frustrated that the Iraqis simply do not wish to "get on board" with him and his War Cabinet.

My advice: Let the people of Iraq work it out amongst themselves. It might be that the religious and ethnic identities, so long repressed under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, should be allowed expression. If this leads to a segmented Iraq, then so be it.

Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Palestine, Egypt, Pakistan, and many other Muslim nations harbour factions that literally hate America, and by proxy, America's allies. Does Mr Bush believe that his policies in Iraq will change this state of affairs? Is waging war against these entities, directly or indirectly, going to change the world for the better? Will we be safer? I don't think so.

Even among the "allies" that the United States has managed to gather in the Middle-East, is there one true democracy? No.

Pipe dreams and pipe lines...that is the essence of the thing.