Blair going? Iraq's yawn of indifference

The media in many Western countries may have gone into overdrive analysing Tony Blair's resignation, but it seems, if Patrick Cockburn in his piece in counterpunch is right, that it is a matter of indifference to the Iraqis:

"Iraq may be seen in Britain as Tony Blair's nemesis but Iraqis yesterday greeted his departure with utter indifference. Asked what they thought about it, most simply shrugged their shoulders and looked surprised at being asked the question. Others said they saw him as a surrogate for President Bush.

It is easy to see why Mr Blair is not regarded with more affection in Iraq. On 8 April 2003, just before the fall of Saddam Hussein, British troops distributed a leaflet in Arabic containing a message from him to Iraqis. It promised "a peaceful, prosperous Iraq which will run by and for the Iraqi people".

Iraqis are all too aware this never happened. Four years after the letter, Iraq is perhaps the least peaceful country in the world. Baghdad is gripped by terror. On a quiet day yesterday police picked up 21 bodies of murdered men. Nobody knows how many corpses lie at the bottom of the river or in shallow graves in the desert."

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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