noteworthy wrote:

As Iraqis and American officials assess the effects of this year’s American troop increase, there is a growing sense that, even as security has improved, Iraq has slipped to new depths of lawlessness.

Theft and corruption have become survival tools, creating a spiral of dishonest transactions that leave nearly everyone feeling dirty.

“No one can stop it,” Abu Ali said. “Corruption runs from top to bottom.”

“The size of the corruption exceeds the imagination,” said Shatha Munthir Abdul Razzaq, a member of Parliament’s largest Sunni bloc.

You have to pay a bribe to join the police. This is not just some ill-qualified people trying to improve their chances. Everyone has to pay.

(This article is also available at IHT, and that version was recommended, as well.)

Isn't that progress, considering just how often police were dying? If people are now willing to pay $500 for the privilege of robbing their fellow citizens as cops, they must figure they will live long enough to profit - which is a change for the positive, yeah? Doesn't that indicate that things may be progressing from all out civil war to a more stable corruption?

RE: Nonstop Theft and Bribery Are Staggering Iraq