Yesterday was the deadliest day yet in Lebanon since the recent fighting broke out, with 55 Lebanese killed. The instability in the region and the ability of reporters to travel there obviously makes it a big news story. But how bad is it? Actually, it's still vastly safer than Iraq. In fact Wed. in Lebanon would have been about an average day in Iraq in January - and the death tolls there have steadily increased since January. Actually they've soared since then - when Wed. in Lebanon was an ordinary day. According to the UN 1,778 civilians were killed in January in Iraq, 2,165 in February, 2,378 in March, 2,284 in April, 2,669 in May and 3,149 in June. So take Wed. in Lebanon, multiply it by two, and have that happen every day. every week, and continually get worse with every passing slaughter.
As much as they decry coverage of Iraq in the press, I think the Bush administration is very lucky that this comparison isn't being made - or that the scale of the bloodbath that's become Iraq seems to have become so expected and ordinary. Though I don't know if that's lucky for the people of Iraq.
Posted by armand at July 20, 2006 08:53 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Iraqhow do iraq and lebanon compare in population?
Posted by: moon at July 20, 2006 02:21 PM | PERMALINKLebanon is much smaller. It has a little under 4 million people, while Iraq has - what, 23 million? 25 million? Something like that. So yes, as a percentage of the country's population the death toll in Lebanon might be worse this week - but when you consider that this has been going on for weeks and months in Iraq, the situation in Iraq could be seen as "worse" - and obviously it is in terms of the basic death toll.
Posted by: Armand at July 20, 2006 03:06 PM | PERMALINKAh - Binky beat me to it - and Iraq's at 26 million.
Posted by: Armand at July 20, 2006 03:07 PM | PERMALINKthanks, kids.
so iraq has recently exceed 100 per day, lebanon hits 50+, and your multiplier, conservatively, is six -- so that's a 300-death day in lebanon, in iraq-adjusted figures.
that's not radically different, i don't imagine, even if we ignore the fact that the pattern in iraq is ongoing and the trend is worsening. i would guess that iraq, in reaching 3100+ fatalities in a month, had at least a day or two approaching 300, and perhaps more.
speaking of bombs, it looks like one's been dropped on downtown pittsburgh -- or maybe more aptly it looks like we're back to the smoke-choked skies of yore. it's so humid here right now that i can't see the ohio river as far as sewickley from my downtown office, a straight-line distance of five miles or so. i mean, really, i can't see it. at all. even heinz field, no more than a mile away, is a milky apparition. we need a thunderstorm something fierce.
Posted by: moon at July 20, 2006 05:52 PM | PERMALINK