I was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight (Monday's episode, and his guest was a leftist liberal who worked with the CPA (coalition provicial authority, the first govt in the post-saddam iraq). I'll dig his name up later. (Update: cant' find it, too tired) Anyway he remarked about how the U.S. was screwing everything up there, and how the U.S. didn't want women in parliment, but half of the parliment seats are required to be filled by women. Then he said something interesting, that those women are not empowered because they are too scared to go out and do their civic duty, attend meetings, organize woman politically, etc. I found that interesting, then I remember the latest Chrenkoff report which had this bit about people violating curfew in Ramadi because they felt so safe. (Interestingly its in the Honolulu Advertiser, a very leftist paper).

Then I also remembered a survey of Iraqi women who were asked about how they felt about their safety. 12% thought they were not safe due to U.S. and coalition forces. 40% thought they were not safe due to criminals, and 46% said they didn't see any threat.

Further, another survey showed a more pronouced finding; mostly women felt safe in the country, from 80-90% in the Kurdish north and Shiite south, to 60% around bagdad and in teh center of the country, where the most unrest is.

So basically i think he's full of shit. But his book might be interesting. if only i can figure out what it is.