43% of Iraqis in 'Absolute Poverty'

Two New York Times contributors wrote yesterday that the situation in Iraq was getting better.  Well try telling that to nearly one third of all Iraqis that are in dire need of emergency aid:

Living conditions in Iraq have deteriorated significantly since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003,leaving nearly one-third of the population in need of emergency aid, aconsortium of relief organizations said in a report released Monday.

Thenumbers in the report offer a contrast to the picture of steadilyimproving conditions painted by the Iraqi government and the U.S. military over the past several months. Seventy percent of Iraqi residents lackadequate water supplies, compared with 50 percent in 2003, while morethan 4 million people have been displaced during that time. Yet fundingfor humanitarian assistance in Iraq has declined precipitously, from$453 million in 2005 to $95 million in 2006.

And it does not end there.  Absolute poverty continues to rise as well:

Forty-three percent of Iraqis are in "absolute poverty", partly becauseof a 50% unemployment rate. Basic services in 2003 were poor after adecade of sanctions and under-investment by the Saddam Hussein regime.But they have worsened since.

When you rebuild an entire country, if you must, the entire population has to be invested in making it work.  In this case, how can that happen if a notable chunk of the Iraqi people are barely able to put food on the table?

Yes, the New York Times writers from the Brookings Institution can cherry-pick military successes all they want -- like in Al Anbar, where, actually yes, the security situation has changed for the better.  Though, military accomplishments are worthless without sustained political and economic stability.  On the political side, the Iraqi parliament has already adjourned for the entire month of August without reaching agreements between the three major factions.  And economically, you have this troubling report about poverty. 

So, claiming the situation is getting better might help buy the Bush Administration more time.  Will it serve reality?  That is a different story.