I almost put this is BN simply because the AP admits it. of course, the way the story reads, it paints
the most pessimistic picture possible before explaining the nearly innumerable good things that are
happening in iraq.
and this sentence is actually funny:
Those positive signs are attracting little attention in the United States, where the war-weary public is focused on the American presidential contest . . . .
they almost admit the truth; that you don't read anything about the good news in iraq because it's an election year
, and
would make The BarackStar! look bad.
Iraqi violence down and gov't confidence rising
BAGHDAD - Signs are emerging that Iraq has reached a turning point. Violence is down, armed extremists are in disarray, government confidence is rising and sectarian communities are gearing up for a battle at the polls rather than slaughter in the streets.
Those positive signs are attracting little attention in the United States, where the war-weary public is focused on the American presidential contest and skeptical of talk of success after so many years of unfounded optimism by the war's supporters.
Unquestionably, the security and political situation in Iraq is fragile. U.S. commanders warn repeatedly that security gains are reversible.
Some analysts question whether the limited political accommodation among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds can be sustained if America withdraws its forces quickly. Iran's interest in using Shiite extremists to stir up trouble is another question mark.
With so many uncertainties, many Iraqis themselves fear the relative calm won't last — even though monthly death tolls have been declining since the middle of last year.
"This relative calm is the calm before the storm," said Mohammed al-Sheikhli, director of the Transitional Justice Research Center in Baghdad. "The worst violence is not over because the calm may collapse any moment."
That may prove true. Most of the root causes of the war — notably the power struggle between Sunnis and Shiites_ remain unresolved.
U.S. troops have managed to suppress the conflict in Baghdad, maintaining an uncertain calm behind massive networks of blast walls that separate rival communities.
Political progress has lagged far behind security gains, some of them made at the risk of sowing the seeds of future conflict.
Fear and mistrust lie just beneath the surface.
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