AskACitizen

better than 2006-2007 safety wise but still not safe , eg: we got very aggressive explosions on 19/8/2009 and on 25/10/2009 ....and hundreds of civilians got killed including 60 child in a kindergarten inside the ministry which was targeted by the last explosion. there is no general feeling, different people have different opinions, mine is not very optimistic because the government is clearly not in control of the situation so things might get hectic if they leave, i think who starts a mess should have the courtesy to clean it before leaving .. don't you think?

I don't think it is safe for a foreigner to stay in Iraq for an extended period. New York Times reported crimes committed for money from bank robbery to kidnapping for ransom were on the rise a few months back. I think the situation has not improved. If oil revenue is truly share by all Iraqis, I expect things will continue to improve. The government does not have good policy to help poor people get jobs in the oil industry. The average bribe for an oil industry job in Basra for example is $2,000USD to $5,000USD. So poor people can not afford to have a job. At the moment, I am optimistic since the election law just passed. Voters will be able to see all the candidates' name on an open list. This means voter can vote for individuals instead of parties. That is the difference between sectarianism and nationalism. A lot of good signs are happening. I am very happy to see the direction Iraq is going. Americans are viewed as occupiers and Iraqis will be happy to see them go. As long the American arm forces stay in Iraq, American citizens travel to Iraq will have a strong association with the occupier label. Mind you the resentment is deep and a lot of hurts are unresolved. I think it will take generations to normalize relations. A few months ago, I read an interview of a boy trained by jihadis who belonged to a group called “Boys of Heaven”. The training did not go away even though the war has stopped. If you can not wait generations, then be accompanied by trusted locals. On the surface, trust is hard to come by especially amidst misinformation and corruptions, but good people are everywhere only sometimes they can not afford to act good. Iraqis want to move on from years of turmoil, extending a welcoming hand might be just the way to go. Keep track of my discovery of Iraq and its people at http://twitter.com/baghdadexpat Same answer is posted at http://www.baghdadexpat.com/

its fine day by day it go best but what you think if there happen a war on water