I generally assume that the media is overstating the bad news about Iraq and ignoring the good news. But even if that's true, this can't be good news:
A suicide car bomb has killed at least nine people outside the main coalition headquarters in Baghdad, including the head of the U.S.-appointed Governing Council, officials say.In Afghanistan, the U.S. is often criticized for making President Hamid Karzai the "mayor of Kabul" -- that is, creating a situation where he (and by extension, the U.S.) controls the capital city and not much beyond that.Abdul Zahra Othman Mohammad, a Shi'ite council member also known as Izzedin Salim, had been waiting at a checkpoint to enter the sprawling "Green Zone" compound in Baghdad when the bomb went off, Deputy Foreign Minister Hamed al-Bayati told Reuters.
But in Iraq, the U.S. can't even protect, or stabilize, downtown Baghdad. And if we can't do that, if we can't manage to keep the Governing Council safe, then what chance does our little Iraqi adventure have? How can we build a peaceful, democratic Iraq if terrorists can set off car bombs in the heart of the capital?
Comments (1)
I am under the impression that we are facing the opposite problem in Iraq that we are in Afghanistan. In the latter, as you said, we have trouble controlling the outer regions but can keep Kabul relatively safe.
In Iraq, it is the urban areas where we are having the most trouble, and the countryside is relatively peaceful. Most of the fighting is still in the "Sunni Triangle" and a few other cities, while the rest of the country seems to be under much better control.
Posted by Blogician | May 19, 2004 1:50 PM
Posted on May 19, 2004 13:50