Iraqis say life is better now than under Saddam

A recent poll for the Sunday Times found that the majority of Iraqis thought life was better now than under Saddam. Only 27% think there is a civil war in Iraq, compared with 61% who do not, and by a majority of two to one, Iraqis believe military operations now under way will disarm all militias. More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces.

And how representative is the poll you may ask? Well, of the 5,000 who were interviewed, one in four of had a family member murdered (may be extended family for all I know, but that's still pretty bad), and one in three said members of their family had fled abroad. I'd say that's pretty representative!

In the meantime, the troop surge into Baghdad has already yielded positive results, although it will take several months to see whether it has really worked.