Author: Greg Bruno, Staff Writer

• Introduction
• Status of Government Services
• Non-Iraqi Funds for Redevelopment
• Oil: Iraq's Source of Revenue
• Roadblocks to Reform

Introduction

It's been a long climb for the cradle of civilization. After a flourish of architectural genius in the late -1950s (Frank Lloyd Wright once had a major project in Baghdad), and a brief stop at the top of the Arab world's development index in the 1970s, Iraqi infrastructure has foundered. Frequent power outages and poor water quality defined Iraqi daily life during the country's eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s, the economic sanctions of the 1990s, and the current war with the United States. But today, while improvements to basic services are marked by regular setbacks, there are signs of gradual progress. One basic measure of stability - power production - reached its highest level since the U.S. -led invasion in October 2007. Local government officials are making efforts to collect garbage and clean up long -neglected parks in places like Baghdad. And oil production - the lifeblood of Iraq -rebounded in early 2007 and is hovering at prewar levels.

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Posted by dcjaya at December 13, 2007 12:31 PM