And then there are those liberated Iraqis. . .

I read the NYWT every day and yesterday they have a huge graphic on the op-ed page showing how much better things have been getting in Iraq.

Hmm. Funny thing about that. The liberated folks at the Iraqi Ministry of Planning and Development don't seem to think so. From David Cortright in the Christian Science Monitor:

The Bush administration continues to insist that progress is being made in Iraq, but the last two years have brought deepening misery for Iraqis. That is the inescapable conclusion of a report released in May by the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the Iraqi Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation.

The "Living Conditions in Iraq" study is based on a 2004 survey of more than 21,000 households. It shows the Iraqi people are suffering widespread death and war-related injury, high rates of infant and child mortality, chronic malnutrition and illness among children, low rates of life expectancy, and significant setbacks for women.

snip

The innocent and vulnerable populations of Iraq are suffering the most. Malnutrition among small children is widespread. Nearly one quarter of Iraqi children suffer chronic malnutrition, and 8 percent suffer acute malnutrition.

Illness levels among Iraqi children are also high - due in part to a growing lack of safe drinking water and sanitation. Forty percent of urban households report sewage in the streets of their neighborhoods.

Infant and child mortality rates remain abnormally high in Iraq, though there is much uncertainty about the exact numbers.

snip

Iraq's alarmingly high child mortality rate translates into thousands of 'excess' deaths every year. These are the quiet, unseen victims of the continuing tragedy in Iraq.

The new report also sheds light on the number of Iraqi deaths directly attributable to the US-led invasion and occupation. As of mid-2004 the war had caused 24,000 Iraqi deaths, the study estimated. This is the number for all deaths, civilian and military, in the immediate aftermath of the 2003 invasion.

The death toll in Iraq has continued to climb, of course, especially in recent weeks, so these numbers are larger now than when the survey was conducted last year.

Etc. Funny how I didn't see anything about that on the news. Oh well, maybe they're saving it for a prime time special.

Addendum: Here's the direct link to the UN Development Program home page on the report:

Iraq Living Conditions Survey 2004