Iraq Study Group

The full report can be found here and we will comment in detail after our own study.

It begins by saying: There is no guarantee for success in Iraq. The situation in Baghdad and several provinces is dire. Saddam Hussein has been removed from power and the Iraqi people have a democratically elected government that is broadly representative of Iraq’s population, yet the government is not adequately advancing national reconciliation, providing basic security, or delivering essential services. The level of violence is high and growing. There is great suffering, and the daily lives of many Iraqis show little or no improvement. Pessimism is pervasive.

What this web site has tried to do in the last few years is to recognise the pessimistic side of the equation whilst highlighting the optimistic side – not least the growth of civil society institutions and especially the new Iraqi labour movement. We will continue to do so.

Gary Kent