A Tale of Two Countries

There are two Iraqs.

The one we more often see and read about is a dangerous place, full of exploding cars, kidnapped foreigners and deadly ambushes. There, reconstruction is proceeding at a snail's pace, frustration boils over, and tensions--political, ethnic, religious--crackle in the air like static electricity before a storm.

The other Iraq is a once prosperous and promising country of 24 million, slowly recovering from the physical and moral devastation of totalitarianism. It's a country whose people are slowly beginning to stand on their own feet, grasp the opportunities undreamed of only two years ago, and dream of catching up on three decades of lost time.

So begins this week's Iraq update from Arthur Chrenkoff. The media tells us all about the first Iraq. Thankfully, Mr. Chrenkoff has taken the responsibility of keeping us informed about the second one:

Two Nations in One