As Death Stalks Iraq, Middle-Class Exodus Begins

Ongoing violence in Iraq forces middle class and wealthy citizens to abandon homes and confess a lack of faith in the newly forming government. Murders of teachers, sanitation workers and even children are routine. Businesses often receive warnings to leave, parents withdraw their children from schools in record numbers, and families move to countries like Jordan and Syria. About 7 percent of Iraq’s population applied for new passports during the last 10 months. Mistrust, doubt and insecurity permeate Baghdad neighborhoods, inhibiting any sense of civility or progress. – YaleGlobal