A good source to cite

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

When you are talking to someone about the mess in Iraq, it is always good to be able to cite non-partisan sources. (Yeah, I know it won't convince the hard right wing, but nothing will convince them.) One great source for information on Iraq comes from Refugees International, a non-government organization that takes no money from the UN or any government (which I feel is a point to make, especially to conservatives). They have written a series of opinion pieces since before the war talking about the mistake the US was doing in invading.

In their latest email newsletter, they have a link to an excellent article called "Iraq:Lesson from Going It Alone", which I highly recommend. The link:

http://www.refugeesinternational.org/cgi-bin/ri/bulletin?bc=00679

Some quotes:

" Iraq is more inhospitable today than it was a few months ago and terrorists, whether home-grown or imported, have the capacity to attack American and internationally-sponsored interests."

"The American-sponsored reconstruction program is in trouble. The guiding approach is governed by a mood of “hurry and up and do something.” USAID and private contractor personnel are reportedly under enormous pressure to show results quickly. Reconstruction has become a numbers game: how many schools have been built, hospitals renovated, wells dug, etc. Aid workers in Iraq are concerned that the U.S is throwing money at reconstruction problems, with no sense of cost controls or uniform standards. For example, according to an aid worker, one contractor doing school repairs is getting $33,000 per school, while another doing similar work is getting $15,000. Nobody seems to care about the difference. Moreover, Civil/Military Affairs personnel of the U.S. military also repair schools, reputedly at outrageous costs, because they are more interested in “winning hearts and minds” than producing a good school building. These problems are likely to get worse when the U.S. starts spending the $20 billion in reconstruction aid just approved by Congress."

(Mods, I hope I didn't quote too much)

There is a lot more, and I recommend it for all who are interested in letting folks know what is really going on in Iraq.

[DoctorMyEyes]

1. quite good

thanks for the link!

[redqueen]

2. Kick

:kick:

[blueseas]

3. kick

:kick: