Deroy Murdock: good news from Iraq

There is plenty of bad news from Iraq and yesterday's posting (based on a leader in The Business) highlighted some of that news.  But it's not all bad news.  Far from it.  The good news is regularly recorded by Arthur Chrenkoff in his blog and on the pages of the Wall Street Journal.

A preference for reporting bad news over good news is in the media's DNA.  Deroy Murdock cites the 'if it bleeds, it leads' maxim in an article that encourages the same media to highlight some of the more encouraging news emerging from Saddam's old stomping ground.  Mr Murdock's Chicago Sun-Times piece contains two stand-out sections:

• Economic improvement: "Iraq's monthly oil exports have grown from $200 million in June 2003 to $2.5 billion last month. This is due both to higher prices and to the fact that fuel supplies have swelled from 23 percent to 97 percent of official production goals in that period. These key improvements also help explain why Iraq's gross domestic product increased from a World Bank estimate of $12.1 billion in 2003 to a projected $21.1 billion in 2004."
• Blossoming freedom of press and communications: "Commercial TV channels, radio stations and independent newspapers and magazines have zoomed from zero before Operation Iraqi Freedom to -- respectively -- 29, 80 and 170 today.  Internet subscribers have boomed from 4,500 before Iraq's liberation to 147,076 last March, not counting the additional Iraqis who use Internet cafes. When Saddam Hussein fell, Iraq had 833,000 telephone subscribers. In July that figure had soared 356.4 percent to 3,801,822."

Comments

[Selsdon Man]

If that is the best news, God help us. Most of the problems that are now being fixed are due to the war. The US government failed to have a proper plan to deal with its destruction of vital utlities.

There may be more freedom of expression but that does not hide the thousands of deaths due to suicide bombings and murders. Murdoch actually applauds the increase in miltary personnel - it actually shows that situation is worsening.

Murdoch is just another neo-con pumping out White House propaganda.

[malcolm]

I have several friends who have served in Iraq.Like many in Britain they were divided about this war at its outset.However several facts have emerged to the situation which all would agree with.
1 The army was badly equiped for its task at the outset and things are far from ideal now.
2Post war planning was entirely inadequate.The 'powers that be'felt that our army would be treated as liberators,this has proved to be entirely incorrect.
3 There are not enough troops in the British sector to enforce our will.They have to behave with the acquiesence (I'm sure I've mispelt that) of some very unsavoury characters who are very hostile to the coalition.Most are very pro Iranian
4 There will be a civil war sooner or later.Probably whilst our troops are still there but most certainly immediately after they leave.
Personally I think this war has been a mistake on every level and we will pay the price of that for a long time to come.

[Michael Ehioze-Ediae]

The problems in Iraq were always going to happen. All saddam did was use force to suppress the discontent in the country. Now that the force is gone, the anger has come to the surface. Personally, I think this is progress. It is better that they argue,and reach an agreement, be it a federal state or three separate states.
This is they way to solve problems.Let everthing out in the open. Who is afraid of Iraq becoming three states?
The only alternative is to return to the Saddam era of a Mighty dictator who supresses dissent.

[GaffaUK]

Nice one Michael. How many other non-democractic countries shall we invade because of nasty dictators supressing their populations? I don't call civil war, daily casualities and thousands dead progress. And saying it was 'always going to happen' is a laughable excuse.

The USSR covered a huge area and it reasonably managed to turn itself into several countries without huge bloodshed. Even with the troubles in Cheychna, there was no need for the US and UK to invade USSR and excerbate these problems.

Remember we were told the war was about WMDs not 'liberating' countries.