JCviggen Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 However its very long so I guess you should only read this if you're more than superficially interested in politics. But its quite an insightful and unbiased article, and something everyone should read I think. At least those who like to think they know a lot about the war and stuff http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_14240.shtmlsmall quoteIf you were a typical Iraqi man, what you would want most of all, after a weapon and a woman, is a car. This became obvious soon after the lid came off. Early during the occupation, the U.S. Army reacted with typical expediency to the corruption among the traffic police, and to other problems perceived in the lawby formally suspending enforcement of the Iraqi traffic code. The police did not exactly lose their jobs, but they were left with nothing to do. This worked well enough as long as traffic was light. Simultaneously, however, a long-repressed market sprang to life, and with no vehicle registration or driver's licensing required, no taxes to be paid, and indeed no controls of any kind, torrents of used cars began flowing down the highways toward Baghdad, from across the borders with Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Those torrents continue largely unabated today. Though most of the new arrivals are lightweight Toyotas, Hyundais, or sagging Chevrolets, the market has developed a strong preference for German luxury sedans, many apparently stolen in Europe and whisked away with the original license plates still in place. These are not grandmas' hand-me-downs but late-model cars with powerful motors, the bigger the better in an oil-rich country where you can still fill your tank for a dollar. They sell for about a fourth of what they would bring in the West. So many have flooded in by now that the best way to move inconspicuously through Iraq is in a freshly battered BMW, perhaps burning a little oil, but with an engine still strong enough for quick getaways.The fresh battering comes naturally, as does the engine wear. Quick getaways, on the other hand, require maneuvering room, which inside the city has become increasingly rare. In fact, so many cars of so many descriptions arrived so fast that by the end of the summer of 2003 the streets of Baghdad were filled to the point of gridlock. It did not help that they were also filled with untrained and unidentifiable drivers, whose inexperience in no sense diminished their assertiveness and taste for speed. With the traffic police now sidelined, the only workable technique for negotiating busy intersections was to assume the right-of-way and to keep moving if at all possible, swerving at close quarters to avoid crashing. A Kurdish friend of mine witnessed an argument between two drivers after one of the innumerable smashups, during which one man shouted, "What kind of driving was that?!" and the other shouted back, "This is a democracy now, and I can drive as I please!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ontheheel Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 However its very long so I guess you should only read this if you're more than superficially interested in politics. But its quite an insightful and unbiased article, and something everyone should read I think. At least those who like to think they know a lot about the war and stuff http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_14240.shtmlsmall quote← i love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromtheshadows Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 yeah it was genius to "liberate" those people with our brand of democracy now theyre so free from persecution. can we start polluting the tigris with corporate waste now? sorry for the sarcasm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DougK Posted October 15, 2004 Report Share Posted October 15, 2004 i love it!←Thats got sig material writen all over it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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