As e-mail touts progress, reality check finds it's not all black and white

As e-mail touts progress, reality check finds it's not all black and white
By Nancy A. Youssef, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Fri Sep 16, 5:45 PM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq - In a widely circulated e-mail, an anonymous author poses 16 questions that ask readers if they've heard about specific signs of progress in Iraq that have received little attention from the news media.

"Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq?" the e-mail asks. "Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?"

The e-mail has caused a buzz in the United States. Indeed, it was part of a discussion among Associated Press editors last month about coverage of the war. Some editors said they worried that journalists in Iraq are too holed up in their offices, because of the constant security threat, to get a full picture of the country.

Although many people in Iraq haven't seen the e-mail, officials here have their own statistics and conclusions to add to the debate. Some agree that sectors of the country have improved; others say the improvements are overshadowed by the deterioration of security and basic social services. Still others say that one statistic doesn't always give the fullest picture.

Foreign Ministry officials said that while 47 countries have re-established embassies here, 17 of them have closed again because of deteriorating security. The most visible closures occurred this summer after Egyptian and Algerian officials were kidnapped and killed. Before 2003, there were more than 70 embassies in the country, officials said.

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