There are actually articles about Iraq in U.S. newspapers that are comprehensive enough to go into detail about living conditions for the people there, and the state of the society an political institutions?

I can't remember the last time I've read one. Of course, I don't read every newspaper out there.

How about showing me some? Most major newspapers have an on-line outlet that links to an archive.

Fortunately, it's a new day- those interested in current events and history no longer have to rely on impressions gleaned from the same handful of newspapers and newsweeklies for information.

There are Iraqi bloggers, this one for instance:

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/

"Sunday, June 29, 2008

Failed States Index 2008

Really, no one can deny the great progress that was made in Iraq over the last year. I mean, in 2007 Iraq was ranked as second failed state after Sudan, but in 2008 we are the fifth most failed state in the world, beating Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Chad, though we are still behind countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan:

The height of the U.S. military surge in Iraq was a key factor in this year’s analysis of that country. And though Iraq’s score improved slightly, the gains that one might hope for—those that reflect fundamental, long-term changes—did not occur. The desperate predicament of nearly 4 million people driven from their homes, the abysmal state of public services, and the discord among sectarian factions have shown no real improvement. The incremental security and economic progress that has occurred are dependent on tenuous, short-term factors that could unravel at any time. Eager to cobble together a fragile peace, the U.S. military has armed dozens of new Sunni militia groups that could later turn their guns on the Iraqi government, their Shiite rivals, or the Americans many still regard as occupiers. Similarly, Iraq’s economy has improved only moderately, thanks largely to the spike in global oil prices, not Iraqi production. In short, progress in Iraq last year was negligible at best and deeply susceptible to reversal should the country suffer the kind of shock—a food shortage, a high-level assassination, an attack that unleashes ethnic hatreds—that has exposed so many states’ deep vulnerabilities in recent months..."

(reference quote from Foreign Policy magazine, "Failed States Index 2008"- link at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350&page=1 )

Here's another good one for you- http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/

Maybe you'd like to follow up with links to Iraqi bloggers of your own, historybuff.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/21753.html

(I don't have a McClatchy paper where I live presently- I'm stuck with the Washington Post.)

"...Despite the fact that Iraq and U.S. officials have made water projects among their top priorities, the percentage of Iraqis without access to decent water supplies has risen from 50 percent to 70 percent since the start of the U.S.-led war, according to an analysis by Oxfam International last summer. The portion of Iraqis lacking decent sanitation was even worse -- 80 percent..."

Also, a March 2008 report from that defeatist left-wing source, the Voice of America (relying on a report by the "Red Cross"):

http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/

2008-03/2008-03-17-voa28.cfm?CFID=8915009&CFTOKEN=97183579

Five Years On - Iraqis Still Lack Basic Health Care, Clean Water

By Sonja Pace

London

17 March 2008

A new Red Cross report says that five years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, many Iraqis still lack adequate access to basic health care, sanitation and clean drinking water. VOA's Sonja Pace has more from London.

Iraq women collect water from a canal in Najaf, Iraq, 05 Mar 2008

Iraq women collect water from a canal in Najaf, Iraq, 05 Mar 2008

The Red Cross report paints a dire picture of Iraq today. It says that five years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, millions of Iraqis face an extremely worrying humanitarian crisis.

ICRC Middle East spokeswoman, Dorothea Krimitsas explains.

"Actually, in most of the country, it is among the most critical in the world. Because of the conflict, millions of Iraqis have insufficient access to vital medical care, health care, water and sanitation," she said.

Lack of security has been the major concern. Since the invasion, more than four million Iraqis have fled their homes, half of them going abroad, mostly to neighboring Jordan and Syria, while the rest remain displaced inside Iraq.

Iraqis inspect the site of a suicide attack in Baghdad's Bab al-Sharji area, 13 Mar 2008

Iraqis inspect the site of a suicide attack in Baghdad's Bab al-Sharji area, 13 Mar 2008

Last year's U.S. troop surge has improved the security situation in and around Baghdad. But, the ICRC's Dorothea Krimitsas says life for millions of Iraqis remains unchanged.

"One's attention should not be distracted from the continuing plight of millions of civilians who have been left to their own devices and who continue to be often deliberately targeted, killed, injured on a daily basis in fighting and attacks," she said.

Krimitsas says today's humanitarian crisis in Iraq is not linked solely to the U.S.-led invasion, but to a culmination of decades of conflict and deprivation.

"Today, what Iraqis are experiencing is a crisis, which has been exacerbated by the lasting effects of previous armed conflicts, of decades of conflicts and years of sanctions," she said.

The Red Cross report says that in order to avoid a further deterioration of the situation, more attention must be paid to the daily needs of average Iraqis. The ICRC calls on those involved in the conflict to do more to ensure that civilians, medical staff and medical facilities are not harmed.