An Outbreak of Peace
On July 10, 2006, unheralded by the media, the Multi-National Force announced the return of security control to the elected government of Iraq’s Muthanna province, making it the first of Iraq’s 18 states to gain full autonomy in security matters. Muthanna has 540,000 residents, or roughly 2% of the Iraqi population.
“Muthanna, deep in southern Iraq,” stated Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, “will soon become the first province in which Iraqis, specifically the governor, will be in charge of Iraqi security forces and, of course, the security for all the Iraqi people who live there. He will assume the day-to-day responsibility not only for governance there, but the overall responsibility for law enforcement and security. It’s a huge step, but also a first step, in the chain of events ultimately leading to Iraq standing entirely on its own.”
Three northern provinces – Arbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dahuk – have been evaluated “safe” by the coalition, and may soon follow. These provinces, with Muthanna, contain over 4,000,000 inhabitants.
“This,” said Caldwell, “is an Iraqi success in developing the capabilities of a free nation: a government accountable to the people, civil defense forces capable of maintaining order, and a population invested in supporting a legitimate authority.”
Lights On
At the coalition’s July 10th press conference, the commander of the Gulf Region Division Corps of Engineers supplied an update on the status of Iraq’s electrical grid, particularly in Baghdad.
“Before Saddam,” said Maj. Gen. Bill McCoy, “Iraq was the second-most prosperous country in this region. During his tyrannical regime, the nation fell to one of the poorest… Part of the reason is that little attention was given to proper operations and maintenance.”
The dearth of electricity in Baghdad is regularly cited as an emblem of coalition failure. Outages and sabatoge reduced Baghdad residents to 4 hours of electricity per day as recently as April and May of ’06. Owners of gas-powered generators developed a cottage industry, renting access by-the-hour to residents sweltering in the summer heat.
In Baghdad, the contrast to Saddam’s rule was striking, and negative. Under the Baathists, the capital enjoyed 18-24 hours of electricity per day. Indeed, the sole service that today’s Iraqis consistently rate inferior in the post-Saddam era is electricity.
Paradoxically, the electricity crisis worsened as other elements of the economy improved. Washers, dryers, TVs, and household consumer appliances of all sorts proliferated following the demise of the Baath, straining the electrical grid even further.
But there was some method to this seeming madness. In Saddam’s day, electrical power was diverted to Baghdad at the expense of the provinces. The pre-war power average outside of the capital was a paltry 4-to-6 hours per day. The coalition ended this. Today, the provinces enjoy 12-to-14 hours of electrical power daily.
Finally, after three years of effort, electrical supply in Baghdad is improving – and with it, the credibility of the government. In June and July, access doubled from the previous two months, to 8 hours per day. Maj. Gen. McCoy projects that the grid will sustain 11 hours per day by the end of this summer. On July 10th, he described some of the work that the Corps of Engineers has undertaken in Baghdad:
“Our electricity reconstruction program includes several major transmission and distribution projects in the Baghdad area which are scheduled for completion later this month, all of which will improve the reliability of the electrical grid in the Baghdad area. These projects include refurbishment of the Baghdad West, East and South substations; the Aggagrov and Washaz substations inside the town; and completion and inspection of five gas turbines, and the installation of two new gas turbines at Qudas.”
We report it here – MSM won’t.