3. november 2007

Good news is no news The Times: Is no news good news or bad news? In Iraq, it seems good news is deemed no news. There has been striking success in the past few months in the attempt to improve security, defeat al-Qaeda sympathisers and create the political conditions in which a settlement between the Shia and the Sunni communities can be reached. This has not been an accident but the consequence of a strategy overseen by General David Petraeus in the past several months. While summarised by the single word “surge” his efforts have not just been about putting more troops on the ground but also employing them in a more sophisticated manner. This drive has effectively broken whatever alliances might have been struck in the past by terrorist factions and aggrieved Sunnis. Cities such as Fallujah, once notorious centres of slaughter, have been transformed in a remarkable time. It's a sad state of affairs that this is not only under-reported in the mainstream media, but that so many journalists actually appear to be really sad that things are going better in Iraq, and are hoping for the worst. 11:56:04 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2007 Jan Haugland. Last update: 02.12.2007; 21:05:38.