# Why are Iraqi insurgents attacking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 8, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955 "2006-06-08T21:11:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/81 "2006-06-19T00:16:50Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Iraq the Model and Messopotamian . . . Who? ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/82 "2006-06-19T00:28:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Who? [Iraq the Model](http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/) and [Messopotamian](http://messopotamian.blogspot.com/) [Michael Yon](http://www.michaelyon-online.com/) is good too, for an 82nd Airborne in Mosul perspective. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/83 "2006-06-19T01:06:36Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Iraq the Model and Messopotamian are living in Iraq and they don’t call the foreign troops ‘occupiers’ > > Two sides to every story. Maybe you should learn at least one of them before putting them out there. 1-“Iraq the Model”? [Zogby](http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=957) [“Majorities of Iraq’s Sunni Arabs (82%) and Shiites (69%) favor U.S. forces withdrawing either immediately or after an elected government is in place,”](http://politicalwire.com/archives/2005/01/29/polls_show_iraqis_want_us_troops_out.html) 2-Messopotamians (sic): You mean the civilization the Mongols destroyed? If you do, I quite agree. Great example. PS-Sign-up yet, clueless desk-warrior? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/84 "2006-06-19T01:22:36Z")
To the OP: [**Baghdad blasts mock US claims of Iraqi progress**](http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1090201.ece) But hey! You’re “winning” anyway! _Only twenty thousand_ GI’s killed ir wounded so far against literally an _unkown_ number of Iraqis – including a large number of innocent women and children. After all, the US refuses to count “collatelral deaths.” Never mind there wouldn’t be any if your main Nutter In Chief hadn’t started this in the first place. But hey…rah rah, USA #1! ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/85 "2006-06-19T01:42:35Z")
[QUOTE] > [@](#): > > Maybe you should learn at least one of them before putting them out there. > > 1-“Iraq the Model”? > > “Majorities of Iraq’s Sunni Arabs (82%) and Shiites (69%) favor U.S. forces withdrawing either immediately or after an elected government is in place,” **January 28, 2005** The poll also found that of Iraq’s ethnic and religious groups, only the Kurds believe the U.S. will “help” Iraq over the next five years, while half (49%) of Shiites and a majority (64%) of Sunni Arabs believe the U.S. will “hurt” Iraq. Which means 51% of Shias believe US will help Iraq or ‘don’t know’ this is 36% for Sunnis (which is understandable considering they were knocked out of power) However what is more important is… **Iraqis do not desire to remake their country in the image of neighboring Iran, however. Three-in-five (59%) favor a system where citizens are allowed to practice their own religion, while one-in-three (34%) would prefer an Islamic government.** > [@](#): > > 2-Messopotamians (sic): You mean the civilization the Mongols destroyed? If you do, I quite agree. Great example. > > PS-Sign-up yet, clueless desk-warrior? No, it’s erm the name of the blog. If you want to get a rise out of me, instead of doing cheap shots, make a thread of me in BBQ, if not, then quietly reiterate from your continued emotional responses 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/86 "2006-06-19T01:51:09Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > To the OP: > > [**Baghdad blasts mock US claims of Iraqi progress**](http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1090201.ece) According to ambassador Khalilzad, the insurgents appear to be winning in Baghdad: [‘Wash Post’ Obtains Shocking Memo from U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Details Increasing Danger and Hardship](http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002690071) > [@](#): > > This cable outlines, the Post reported Sunday, “the daily-worsening conditions for those who live outside the heavily guarded international zone: harassment, threats and the employees’ constant fears that their neighbors will discover they work for the U.S. government.” > > It’s actually far worse than that, as the details published below indicate, which include references to abductions, threats to women’s rights, and “ethnic cleansing.” Inside the Green Zone: > [@](#): > > – Since April, the “demeanor” of guards in the Green Zone has changed, becoming more “militia-like,” and some are now “taunting” embassy personnel or holding up their credentials and saying loudly that they work in the embassy: “Such information is a death sentence if overheard by the wrong people.” For this reason, some have asked for press instead of embassy credentials. [PDF of the complete cable](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/graphics/iraqdocs_061606.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/87 "2006-06-19T03:20:07Z")
Those wishing to get a handle on reconstruction are encouraged to study the figures in [The Iraq Index](http://www.brookings.edu/iraqindex), a project by The Brookings Institution. In the June 15th compilation, I find the Electricity report interesting. (p. 31) **Average Hours of Electricity Per Day** ```auto Nationwide Bagdhad Pre-War, Before Mar 2003 4-8 16-24 Mar 2004 16 16.4 Mar 2005 11.8 11 Mar 2006 13.1 7.8 May 2006 9.9 3.9 June 2006 11.3 8.4 (so far, presumably) ``` We can see the Saddam Effect: Bagdhad was heavily favored. We can see reconstruction in the year following the invasion, as service was restored to 16 hours per day. And we can see the insurgency, which apparently has affected Bagdhad with greater than average intensity. I’m guessing that the US authorities had a window of opportunity to capture Iraqi hearts and minds, but they blew it. Nationally, electricity is currently more reliable than before the war (though still well under 16 hours): the opposite is true in Bagdhad. **Polling data** on page 42 freaks me out a little. From May 2004 - May 2006 Iraqis were asked whether they thought the country was headed in the “Right Direction” or the “Wrong Direction”. In May 2006 for the first time, more chose “Wrong Direction” than “Right Direction”. Let’s hope things improve. ```auto Right Direction Wrong Direction May June 2004 51% 39% Apr 2005 67% 20% (Peak of Contentment) May 2006 30 52 ``` That last date is ambiguous: the chart heading indicates “May”, while the axis label says, “Mar”. Either way, I’d like to see another data point, maybe for July. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/88 "2006-06-19T03:33:15Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > _Only twenty thousand_ GI’s killed ir wounded so far against literally an _unkown_ number of Iraqis – including a large number of innocent women and children. After all, the US refuses to count “collatelral deaths.” Never mind there wouldn’t be any if your main Nutter In Chief hadn’t started this in the first place. Brookings reports about 2500 GIs dead, so you’re off by an order of magnitude. As of April 3, 2006, estimates of Iraqi Civilian deaths (again by Brookings) follow: Not including deaths from crimes: 18,961 - 33,334 Including deaths from crimes: 44,000 - 89,000 More recent figures extrapolated from [iraqbodycount.net](http://iraqbodycount.net) have a range of 38,400 - 42,700. Page 10 of the Brookings report. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/89 "2006-06-19T03:47:13Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > Nationally, electricity is currently more reliable than before the war (though still well under 16 hours): **the opposite is true in Bagdhad.** From Khalilzad’s memo of last week (referring to Baghdad): > [@](#): > > – Fuel lines have grown so long that one staffer spent 12 hours in line on his day off. \*\*“Employees all confirm that by the last week of May, they were getting one hour of power for every six hours without…\*\*One staff member reported that a friend lives in a building that houses a new minister; within 24 hours of his appointment, her building had city power 24 hours a day.” [Today’s Weather in Baghdad](http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/40650.html) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/90 "2006-06-19T04:01:52Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > Brookings reports about 2500 GIs dead, so you’re off by an order of magnitude. He/she said dead or injured, not dead. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/91 "2006-06-19T04:08:57Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [Today’s Weather in Baghdad](http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/40650.html) This is the first time I got enraged by seeing a weather page. (Freaking smiling suns next to 115+ degree days %$#@!) ---
**Author:** ![Henry-Finland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Henry-Finland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henry-Finland)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/92 "2006-06-19T04:30:52Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > He/she said dead or injured, not dead. 2501 deaths. [http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/](http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/) Henry ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/93 "2006-06-19T04:46:27Z")
I would like to ask for an explanation from the conspiracy believers. I’m really asking, so if please for once avoid the screaming that so often goes on in this forum (which is why I hardly ever come here. I hardly learn anything in the time I can put forth to wading through the nonsense and screaming). What is the rational, elucidated explanation for your beliefs about Bush’s motivations regarding Iraq? I so often see statements about “It was for the oil”, but I never see a citation, and it doesn’t make sense to me. Even the explanation above doesn’t make sense to me, as it needs venal actions on the parts of so many people with so many different political backgrounds. How could this idea of getting better profits for oil companies benefit Bush so much? His numbers are in the toilet, and he has to know that war is NOT good for the economy, no matter how many facile people say otherwise. War spends money on things that we’d rather not have to do, and wastes time and effort, too. Bush will be rich enough after 2008, I can’t understand how he’s supposed to have sold out his historical legacy for even more money. Anyway, I’m willing to listen. Just please try to be clear and answer responses calmly. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/94 "2006-06-19T05:19:25Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > He/she said dead or injured, not dead. Thank you, my bad (sorry RedFury). Total US Troops wounded through 6/14/06 are 18,490. Add in 2501 and we get 20,991: RedFury was spot-on, or even a little conservative 😉 . ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/95 "2006-06-19T05:30:31Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > I would like to ask for an explanation from the conspiracy believers… I’m not a conspiracy believer, but I’ll submit that people have difficulty getting their heads around colossal blunders executed by the powerful. Heck, I sure do. **My explanation for the Iraq Imbroglio** I put it down to decisions made by people who know they’re right, which isn’t the same as actually being right. Thus, the CIA is pressured into cooking intelligence, rather than analyzing it. Combine this nonempiricism with a base-only political strategy that shuns admitting error and we get the Iraq war abroad and endless budget deficits at home. The devil is in the details, and if you don’t go after the devil he will go after you. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/96 "2006-06-19T06:03:04Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > What is the rational, elucidated explanation for your beliefs about Bush’s motivations regarding Iraq? I so often see statements about “It was for the oil”, but I never see a citation, and it doesn’t make sense to me. Well, for one, as either a Freudian slip or an in joke that got outed ( I’ve heard both claims ), the campaign was originally called “[Operation Iraqi Liberation](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030324-4.html)”; [OIL](http://bunning.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Columns.Detail&column_id=36&Month=3&Year=2003) , and only later changed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Could be a coincidence, but . . . Then, many of Bushes associates are members of the Project for a New American Century, which called for the Invasion of Iraq; they’ve been trying to get Iraq conquered since Reagan IIRC. As well, our troops rather famously bypassed the alleged WMD sites and grabbed our first priority; the Iraqi oil ministry. > [@Cardinal](#): > > How could this idea of getting better profits for oil companies benefit Bush so much? Payoffs from the Saudis, perhaps; wouldn’t be the first time. > [@Cardinal](#): > > His numbers are in the toilet, and he has to know that war is NOT good for the economy, no matter how many facile people say otherwise. What makes you think Bush or his friends care about the economy ? First, just because the economy tanks doesn’t mean they, personally, lose wealth. Second, they get the chance to gloat over the suffering of the common people. Third, even if things get so bad they personally lose money, as long as they lose wealth slower than the rest of us, their _relative_ wealth and power will only increase; I expect many would welcome a new Great Depression, or even better a permanent one. > [@Cardinal](#): > > War spends money on things that we’d rather not have to do, and wastes time and effort, too. Bush will be rich enough after 2008, I can’t understand how he’s supposed to have sold out his historical legacy for even more money. I think the author/commentator David Brin had it nailed when he said the distinguishing characteristic of the people in power at the moment is _insatiability_. Nothing will ever be enough for them; taxes cannot be too low, profits cannot be to high, no amount of power is enough. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/97 "2006-06-19T08:44:04Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > Well, for one, as either a Freudian slip or an in joke that got outed ( I’ve heard both claims ), the campaign was originally called “[Operation Iraqi Liberation](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030324-4.html)”; [OIL](http://bunning.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Columns.Detail&column_id=36&Month=3&Year=2003) , and only later changed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Could be a coincidence, but . . . Complete speculation > [@](#): > > Then, many of Bushes associates are members of the Project for a New American Century, which called for the Invasion of Iraq; they’ve been trying to get Iraq conquered since Reagan IIRC. > > As well, our troops rather famously bypassed the alleged WMD sites and grabbed our first priority; the Iraqi oil ministry. Please provide a cite. > [@](#): > > Payoffs from the Saudis, perhaps; wouldn’t be the first time. Is this as much a fanciful character assassination as it seems? I clearly asked for citations and clear explanations. > [@](#): > > What makes you think Bush or his friends care about the economy ? First, just because the economy tanks doesn’t mean they, personally, lose wealth. I meant that having a bad economy is very likely to make people look back at your presidency with distaste. > [@](#): > > Second, they get the chance to gloat over the suffering of the common people. That may be even greater pure partisan, unsupported, uncited, speculative hatred than I heard against Clinton in the late 90s. > [@](#): > > Third, even if things get so bad they personally lose money, as long as they lose wealth slower than the rest of us, their _relative_ wealth and power will only increase; I expect many would welcome a new Great Depression, or even better a permanent one. Again, unsubstantiated speculation about incredibly venal motives. I’m sorry, but this hasn’t helped. I’m more inclined to go with **Measure for Measure** , and I’ve never even voted Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![Henry-Finland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Henry-Finland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henry-Finland)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/98 "2006-06-19T10:03:18Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > What is the rational, elucidated explanation for your beliefs about Bush’s motivations regarding Iraq? I so often see statements about “It was for the oil”, but I never see a citation, and it doesn’t make sense to me. Even the explanation above doesn’t make sense to me, as it needs venal actions on the parts of so many people with so many different political backgrounds. > > How could this idea of getting better profits for oil companies benefit Bush so much? His numbers are in the toilet, and he has to know that war is NOT good for the economy, no matter how many facile people say otherwise. War spends money on things that we’d rather not have to do, and wastes time and effort, too. Bush will be rich enough after 2008, I can’t understand how he’s supposed to have sold out his historical legacy for even more money. > > Anyway, I’m willing to listen. Just please try to be clear and answer responses calmly. What I said in **post # 79** and that it was known that the victory would be quite easy and very certain. Bush really believed everything was over, when he declared “Mission Accomplished!” As we know now, it had only begun. But unfortunately for Bush, there was no way out of Iraq. USA is stuck in Iraq. The laughter in the corridors of Kremlin is even louder than it was in Wasington when Soviet was stuck in Afghanistan. Besides, it is not only Bush that makes the decisions, as you can easily find out in the text of Bernstain’s book (“Attack …” something, I can’t remember the title just now.) As it is said here by **Der Trihs** : > [@](#): > > Then, many of Bushes associates are members of the Project for a New American Century, which called for the Invasion of Iraq; they’ve been trying to get Iraq conquered since Reagan IIRC. > > As well, our troops rather famously bypassed the alleged WMD sites and grabbed our first priority; the Iraqi oil ministry. **PNAC, Project for a New American Century** , you find here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project\_for\_the\_New\_American\_Century](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century) and all the text here: > **[New American Century A Magazine To Explore The World](https://www.newamericancentury.org/)** > > New American Century is a magazine that provides you with tips and tricks on different topics. This can be your trusted place to learn things. More critical views: [http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1665.htm](http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1665.htm) And here you find a lot of articles about it: [http://www.google.com/custom?sa=GIMP%3Ared%3BT%3Ablack%3BLW%3A501%3BALC%3Ablue%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.informationclearinghouse.info%2Fimages%2FBAN1.gif%3BGFNT%3Agrey%3BLC%3Ablack%3BLH%3A61%3BAH%3Acenter%3BVLC%3Ared%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.informationclearinghouse.info%3BAWFID%3A5e7ae7f73a1389ac%3B&domains=www.informationclearinghouse.info&q=Project+for+the+New+American+Century&cof=Google+Search&sitesearch=www.informationclearinghouse.info](http://www.google.com/custom?sa=GIMP%3Ared%3BT%3Ablack%3BLW%3A501%3BALC%3Ablue%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.informationclearinghouse.info%2Fimages%2FBAN1.gif%3BGFNT%3Agrey%3BLC%3Ablack%3BLH%3A61%3BAH%3Acenter%3BVLC%3Ared%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.informationclearinghouse.info%3BAWFID%3A5e7ae7f73a1389ac%3B&domains=www.informationclearinghouse.info&q=Project+for+the+New+American+Century&cof=Google+Search&sitesearch=www.informationclearinghouse.info) If you read the official PNAC documents + the above, and think a little bit, trying to turn tables with the rest of the world and how it will effect the ordinary citizens of USA…, you will come to some conclusions that I think are quite parallel to what others that has read it, thinks. * * * About how the things were handled in the beginning of the conquest: [http://www.harpers.org/BaghdadYearZero.html](http://www.harpers.org/BaghdadYearZero.html) Riverbend is maybe the most trusted bloggers fom Iraq. It is a long read, but from that we can learn a lot of Iraq and be able to ‘turn the tables’. [http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/](http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/) You can also find her writings in book-form. Here is what the **Publishers Weekly** says about her and her book: > [@](#): > > Iraqi women’s voices have been virtually silent since the fall of Baghdad. Yet four months after Saddam’s statue toppled in April 2003, the pseudonymous Riverbend, a Baghdad native then 24 years old, began blogging about life in the city in dryly idiomatic English and garnered an instant following that rivals Salam Pax’s Where Is Raed? This year’s worth of Riverbend’s commentary–passionate, frustrated, sarcastic and sometimes hopeful–runs to September 2004. Before the war, Riverbend was a computer programmer (“yes, yes… a geek”), living with her parents and brother in relative affluence; as she chronicles the privations her family experiences under occupation, there is a good deal of “complaining and ranting” about erratic electricity, intermittent water supplies, near daily explosions, gas shortages and travel restrictions. She rails against the interim governing council (“the puppet government”) and Bush and his administration–and is sardonic on Islamic fundamentalism: as Al Sadr and his followers begin to emerge, Riverbend quotes the Carpenters’s “We’ve Only Just Begun.” But Riverbend is most compelling when she gives cultural object lessons on everything from the changing status of Iraqi women to Ramadan, the Iraqi educational system, the significance of date palms and the details of mourning rituals. Just as fascinating are the mundane facts of daily life, like her unsuccessful attempt to go back to work–no one would guarantee the safety of a woman in the workplace. The blog continues at [riverbendblog.blogspot.com](http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com); like this book, it offers quick takes on events as they occur, from a perspective too often overlooked, ignored or suppressed. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/99 "2006-06-19T10:14:29Z")
Sorry, I meant, “Please provide a cite for the following:” > [@](#): > > As well, our troops rather famously bypassed the alleged WMD sites and grabbed our first priority; the Iraqi oil ministry. It’s not famous enough that I’ve heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955/100 "2006-06-19T13:56:26Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > Brookings reports about 2500 GIs dead, so you’re off by an order of magnitude. > > As of April 3, 2006, estimates of Iraqi Civilian deaths (again by Brookings) follow: > > Not including deaths from crimes: > 18,961 - 33,334 > > Including deaths from crimes: > 44,000 - 89,000 > > More recent figures extrapolated from [iraqbodycount.net](http://iraqbodycount.net) have a range of 38,400 - 42,700. Page 10 of the Brookings report. It says killed OR wounded. The numbers are right on the money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-iraqi-insurgents-attacking/359955.md?page=6)