Smoking in Iraq: More Lethal than Terrorists?

As I embark on my new smoke-free journey, an article in the Economist caught my attention about a proposed new smoking ban inside Iraqi buildings. Anyone found lighting up will pay a fine of $4300. Local civilians wonder why the government is focusing its attention on smoking when there are more urgent matters to be addressed, such as terrorism and suicide bombings.

Smokers will be forced to loiter on street corners exposed to car bombs and the dog days of summer heat. The government argues that the smoking risk is greater than the risk of being killed from a terrorist shooting or bomb-- the government believes the ban is perfectly reasonable on public-health grounds.

About a day ago I would have said "um, get a life Baghdad government." But today I say, way to go. Smoke free is the way to be. I already feel physically better. Don't get me wrong I have crazy withdrawals and I know it will only get harder. But Nicorette is fast becoming my new vice, not Marlboros.

source: The Economist

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Update from my motherland, Mauritania

"Electoral Coup d'Etat"



When I last updated you about Mauritania, this lesser known North African country was in the midst of a military coup, junta. (see older posts to find the story) In recent weeks General Muhammad Ould Abdelaziz got himself elected as Mauritania's civilian president. DEMOCRACY! "Various governments and international bodies, led by the African Union (AU), at first denounced his coup. Now they seem likely to welcome Mauritania fully back into the community of democracies."



Once Mauritania’s Constitutional Court approves, Mauritania can improve its relations with the African Union, the European Union (EU) and the United States, as well as the World Bank and the IMF. All these governments and bodies will argue that, thanks to the poll, they have not, in fact, endorsed a coup.

Brief History

Mauritania has had a chequered history. One of the world’s poorest countries, it has been plagued by drought, locusts, and a lot of military coups. Maaouya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya ran the show from 1984-2005. In 2007 the country held its first fully democratic presidential poll. But a year later its current leader seized power from Sidi Muhammad Ould Sheikh Abdellahi, who had been recognised as the country’s legitimate leader after a genuine election victory only a year before.

As a result, development aid and a number of trade deals had been frozen and Mauritania’s membership of the AU suspended. General Abdelaziz, as he then was, found himself facing threats of sanctions from the AU and the EU unless “constitutional order” returned. Despite Libya’s and Qatar’s mediating efforts, the main opposition rejected the general’s proposal for a fresh election. In the end, Senegal’s president, Abdoulaye Wade, brokered a deal. Mr Abdellahi formally resigned, a transitional unity government briefly took shape, and the coup-maker got his democratic mandate. But it is not yet clear if ordinary Mauritanians think they have got a decent deal.

source: The Economist



~t. childz