Killings lead to brain drain from Iraq-- Telegraph/UK

[TexasLawyer]

The last sentence in the article-- from a professor at Baghdad University: "How can such a society make progress?" How indeed.

Killings lead to brain drain from Iraq
By Oliver Poole in Baghdad
(Filed: 17/04/2006)

The head of Arabic studies at Baghdad University was shot 32 times when his car was ambushed on the way to work. Abdul Latif al-Mayah was murdered after he had appeared on al-Jazeera television. Police described the killing as "professional". In Ramadi, the president of the university, Abdul Hadi Rajab al-Hitawi, was dragged from his home and bundled into the boot of a car. A ransom demand was received a few days later.

Both men are among the growing number of intellectuals to be targeted in Iraq, a phenomenon that is resulting in an unprecedented brain drain as those who can move abroad increasingly do so before they or their families join the list of their colleagues killed or kidnapped.

At least 182 academics have been killed since the invasion in 2003 and there have been many more kidnappings and murder attempts. And it is not just university professors who are being targeted. In the past four months alone 331 school teachers have been murdered and nine medical workers were killed in a single day in the northern city of Mosul last month.

In response the city's doctors and nurses held a one-day strike in an attempt to force the authorities to provide an adequate number of armed guards at hospitals. It was thought that the fall of Saddam Hussein would lead to an influx of skilled exiles who would provide the impetus to help rebuild the country. Instead, the opposite is occurring. By some estimates there are now a million Iraqis in Jordan compared to 300,000 at the time of Saddam's fall.

<snip>

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/17/wirq17.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/04/17/ixworld.html

[Wilms]

1. Funny how that worked out.

I think history shows that when you wish to dominate a culture, or wipe it out, you kill the educated, burn the libraries, loot the museums, etc.

Right out of the play book.

[Erika]

2. Yep Bush had troops at the Oil Ministry

But none at the Museums and Libraries. He knew his priorities.

It's not funny, it's mercenary. Something W does well.

[libodem]

3. If this isn't civil war

what is it?

[depakid]

4. Brain drain = anyone with brains gets the hell out!

American corporatists plus shite and Sunni fundamentalists.... well, it's not like that result wasn't wholly predictable.