so did anybody watch the series?
cliff notes version:north and south good, central/baghdad poor, next 2-3 months will determine the future.
let me give a general overview of the show, which manages to show how dismal our mass media has become compared to c-span and pbs. I guess all the reporters are scared to leave their plush hotels in baghdad.
usaid effort:as with any government organization its slow, they couldn't start until bush declared major combat operations were over. and they just started signing the major infrastructure contracts 2months in (a lot faster than the normal 6 months). I guess it took some time to make the connections and how slow the government is. I wonder how slow the UN would be? We're starting to give discretionary funds to military personnel so that should help give an immediate impact at the local level. Even so it's going to be a tough road ahead getting the iraqi people to do their part.
South:
security is not too much of a problem. I was astonished to learn there's only about 2500?(not sure very small number) british troops in Basra and about double in police. electricity remains sporadic, but that's because the infrastructure has been neglected being a shiite region. they'll have problems with the water cleanliness, since the sewage treatment plants upstream are not working. in umm qasr the port is slowly being built up, it's going to take a year to be fully functional. the world food structure is having problems with looting, and their iraqi security is very poor. the problem is if its from the area, the looters attack their families, and if its from other regions, the guards are too scared to leave, british troops were being used which are good, but they're leaving. I think the region is pretty good, although fundamentalism might destroy the situation.
Central:
it's pretty bad, but not a humanitarian crisis. Much of the problems stem from electricity/security, as the reporters have seen. But i think the people there haven't really felt the brutality of saddam like the south or north so are a little impatient. the other part is people that have felt it are so poor and are looting anything for scrap metal and get injured or destroy the infrastructure. of course this is very generalized, and it varies vastly among the areas depending upon the leadership. some places have people working hand in hand with the US, others are belligerent. it's slowly improving and getting aid to where it needs, but its not quite in expectations of the people.
the best line was by a contractor at a bechtel conference:why is the bidding process 2 weeks, it should be 2 days. also we understand you're trying to help, but the people out there don't. they need water/electriicty/security now.
hopefully, we'll get better communication to let them see our efforts instead of sitting in their hot home with no a/c listening to al jazeera all day.
North:
this area is the best, since it's been under US rule. of course not everything is peachy, the destruction of kurdish villages has caused a lot of displaced people. although, the arabs, kurds, and other groups are working together so far. electricity is out only 30-45min a day in kirkuk. police and other facilities are working. I hope this news spreads to other regions and shows the benefits of working with and supporting the coalition.
To sum up:the next 2-3 months are probably going to determine whether our effort is accepted by the iraqi people and whether the iraqi people view a future working hand in hand with the coalition, or offer active or indifference support to the detractors in baghdad. personally, we need to really crack down on any opposition, violent or not. we're in a war zone and the people need to realize that. the north will continue to probaby be on a way to prosperity, although things could also go wrong with the different ethnic groups. the south region must be vented of the fundamentalism and moderate sheiks (al sistani) must support the coalition. all in all, i'm optimistic about the reconstruction of Iraq.
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