Thread: Iraq - new poll of Iraqis

I would like to apologise for starting yet another thread on Iraq but the only thread current seems to be an inappropriate place for this.

Article I found in the Times today of a British poll of Iraqis (5,000 intervied). First the good news:

• most think their lives are improving and are better than under Saddam Hussein
• only 27% believe there is a civil war in Iraq as opposed to 61% that do not - that can as some surprise to me

The bad news:

• one in four has had a family member murdered - think about that, how many of us lost a relative in the First or Second World Wars? How many Americans lost a relative in the American Civil War. That must have a profound effect on the families, especially if it is mainly men who are killed - think of all those maiden aunts in the 1920s.
• In Baghdad, again one in four has had a relative kidnapped
• In Baghdad, one in three said members of their family had fled abroad.

Any comments?

Or you can read the comments here from the Times article
Iraqis: life is getting better-News-World-Iraq-TimesOnline

History is written by the victors eh ? Is it possible that poll results are to ?

More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces.

Im not suprised they dont know what civil war . Most Iraquia were unaware of who was Sunni and Shia before they probably see it as a war between invading forces and Iraquis not civil war. I do wonder if theres a bit of divide and rule tactics being used.

Originally Posted by InspectorMorse

History is written by the victors eh ? Is it possible that poll results are to ?

Maybe :whistling:

i wouldnt put it past us to.

Originally Posted by InspectorMorse

History is written by the victors eh ? Is it possible that poll results are to ?

Yeah, that's why it showed the bad numbers, as well.

Originally Posted by Magpie

I would like to apologise for starting yet another thread on Iraq but the only thread current seems to be an inappropriate place for this.

Article I found in the Times today of a British poll of Iraqis (5,000 intervied). First the good news:

• most think their lives are improving and are better than under Saddam Hussein
• only 27% believe there is a civil war in Iraq as opposed to 61% that do not - that can as some surprise to me

The bad news:

• one in four has had a family member murdered - think about that, how many of us lost a relative in the First or Second World Wars? How many Americans lost a relative in the American Civil War. That must have a profound effect on the families, especially if it is mainly men who are killed - think of all those maiden aunts in the 1920s.
• In Baghdad, again one in four has had a relative kidnapped
• In Baghdad, one in three said members of their family had fled abroad.

Any comments?

Or you can read the comments here from the Times article
Iraqis: life is getting better-News-World-Iraq-TimesOnline

1. Shouldn't have gone in the first place, screw Bush.
2. Shouldn't pull out now or soon, screw Pelosi.

How about that?

Originally Posted by TheAnchorman

1. Shouldn't have gone in the first place, screw Bush.
2. Shouldn't pull out now or soon, screw Pelosi.

How about that?

It makes to much sense.

Must. Take. Partisan. Position.

yeah anchorman - that kind of logic makes us edgy. We dont like people rocking the boat with abilities to think for selves. Cut that shit out pronto.

Further details of the poll which was conducted for the BBC, ABC News, ARD
German TV and USA Today. The poll was of 2,000 people not 5,000 as stated by the Times yesterday.

From the BBC Website - full details here: BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Pessimism 'growing among Iraqis'

• 18% of Iraqis have confidence in American and Coalition troops - that's 82% haven't, folks and how it was reported on BBC 24 today.
• 86% expressed concern about somebody in their household being a victim of crime
• 67% thought that reconstruction efforts had not been effective
• The poll paints a picture of an increasingly polarised Iraq, with acutely diverging views between Sunnis and Shias - Sunnis appearing more pessimistic.

Full details of the poll will be available on the BBC website at 1200 GMT today.

From this I get the impression that even if the American surge is effective it is going to be the Iraqi government that benefits and America and Britain will still be seen as part of the problem rather than part of the solution by the Iraqi people as our ex Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw so ably put it.

Some of those numbers seem to conflict.