IRAQ IS IMPROVING ECONOMICALLY, POLITICALLY, EXPERTS SAY

The International Monetary Fund announced its confidence in Iraq’s economic progress today. According to the BBC, the IMF’s announcement arrives at the same time as the United Nations praises Sunni and Shia communities in Iraq for their willingness to discuss pertinent problems for the Mid-East nation.

While experts note that the next year will be a telling barometer for Iraq’s long-term success, the IMF forecasts a 7% growth for 2008 and possibly again for the following year. Oil revenues are expected to rise by 200,000 barrels per day. Many attribute the expected rise to a recent law which allows former Baath Party members to serve in military and government positions, as well as the dramatic decrease in violence throughout the nation.

It’s fairly obvious that this good news from both the IMF and the UN could not have been attained without President Bush’s troop surge. Thinking long term, and not just playing to the political loudspeakers before him, Bush has taken a giant leap toward building a stable and secure democracy in the Middle-East- a better and stronger Iraq.

Iraq’s good news is illustrated here by a photograph of myself, happy for Iraq.