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| Iraq |
| Security in Baghdad: what the cabble saw |
| 2007-11-28 |
| Washington Post Haider Abbas, a 36-year-old taxi driver, had only a few moments to answer what is often a life-or-death question in this city: Would he drive a passenger home? The home, on that scorching afternoon last month, happened to be in Adhamiyah, a notoriously dangerous neighborhood where several cabbies had been gunned down. Abbas hadn't been there in two years. But the fare pleaded that it had become safer, so the cabbie reluctantly agreed to go. "To tell you the truth, I thought I had just traded my life for 5,000 dinars," or $4, said Abbas, who was shocked when he arrived in the traffic-jammed streets of Adhamiyah to see shops open and people strolling in the road. "Then I suddenly realized that security really is returning to Baghdad." In a city where few residents believe official statements on declining violence, whether from the U.S. military or the Iraqi government, some of the most reliable figures on security improvements can be found on the odometers of Baghdad's taxi drivers. After years of sectarian warfare whittled down the list of neighborhoods where they could safely work, cabbies are once again crisscrossing nearly all of Baghdad. Every day they assess the constantly shifting boundaries between danger and security, hoping that life will return to normal, but mindful that this is still a city where anyone could be killed at any moment for no particular reason. . . . |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #2 There are a few things to look forward to in the evolution of Baghdad to a "typical" city. That is, from an unusual place to a normal place. One such thing is that larger cities *always* have a "bad part of town". Now granted, "bad" is very relative. But it generally means that it is where the poorer people live, with somewhat more crime than elsewhere in the city. And, importantly, that is where people go to have naughty fun. It is where you will find what passes for the red light district, where it is easier to buy alcohol and drugs, where young people seeking illicit pleasures tend to congregate and party, etc. All very normal in a city, because such things are pushed out of the "better" neighborhoods. It also means that the better neighborhoods are in control enough to push out the mischief makers. This implies effective policing, which in turn implies more effective government. And, if you ask the taxi drivers where to go to "have a good time", that district is what they will automatically say. Unless you look like "polite people", in which case they will recommend museums and "polite" entertainments. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-11-28 09:56 |
| #1 Every day they assess the constantly shifting boundaries between danger and security, hoping that life will return to normal, but mindful that this is still a city where anyone could be killed at any moment for no particular reason The Washington Post writer couldn't take two minutes to google 'cab driver shot' and click on news to see a long list of victims, none of which are in Baghdad to understand that his/her standards could apply anywhere. It's a quagmire out here. /sarcasm off |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-11-28 08:46 |