Nearly half a year ago, Johns Hopkins researchers reported that the Iraq war had cost more than 600,000 civilian deaths. The US and British governments quickly countered with statements dismissing the study’s methodology and conclusions. Their cause was helped by the sheer horror of such numbers and much lower estimates by Iraqi government spokespersons and other pro-invasion sources. The US government has steadfastly refused to release casualty figures with the excuse that “We don’t do body bags.”
Now the British Defence Ministry’s chief scientific advisor has concluded that the Hopkins methodology is “robust” and recommends that the British government avoid public criticism of the report:
The British government was advised against publicly criticising a report estimating that 655,000 Iraqis had died due to the war, the BBC has learnt.
Iraqi Health Ministry figures put the toll at less than 10% of the total in the survey, published in the Lancet.
But the Ministry of Defence’s chief scientific adviser said the survey’s methods were “close to best practice” and the study design was “robust”.
Another expert agreed the method was “tried and tested”.
Apparently the document backing the study’s methodology was released only after a BBC Freedom of Information demand, and after a 4-month delay. So the US and British governments knew about the conclusion even while they were trashing the study’s methodology.
Just one more sickening example of the kind of lies and disinformation used to keep this murderous disaster going. At this time, no US “news” outlets other than NPR appear to have picked up the story.
This really is the biggest story of the past 10 years.
I’d like to see Americans get their face rubbed in this story every day for years.
The vast majority, of course, just flat out reject the idea as impossible. After all, Saddam had “rape rooms.”
It should be the biggest story, but is barely reported in this country. The extent of the killing is staggering: more Iraqis died in this war than the number of Americans who dies in any war in our history, including the US Civil War that is still treated as such an unthinkable tragedy. I guess only Americans are capable of experiencing tragedy. The rest of the world just doesn’t count, no matter how vast the killing fields may be.
Anyway, Bush promised that there were almost no civilian deaths, and he talks to Jesus.
Too bad I live in a country that doesn’t have a free press anymore. A free enterprise press, sure …
That said, everything I’ve seen from legitimate methodological discussions of this study has concluded that it was extremely well conceived and carried out. At least someone in Blair’s government isn’t afraid to admit what was obvious to those who have actually read the study long ago. Indeed, I suspect the actual number of deaths attributable to our intervention is much higher, frankly, on the order of 1 to 2 million, but I can live with this lower estimate, which is more than bad enough.
The President and his echo chamber guys immediately criticized the methods of the original study–as if they can do that kind of math. (Only Rove does math, and then only voter supression)
The Democrats made a big mistake not jumping on this study and forcing it onto the front pages. Too late?
I don’t think so. They’d have to hand in their Team America merit badges.
And then there are Democrats…
Sometimes the good ole’ boys and girls have to be led by the brave, paperless armies in this medium. Time to bring it back to the forefront.
Bush shrugged off the study as a “guess” in speaking to a reporter. The concept of “method” probably never enters his mind.
Not included are the number of those who remain but whose lives have been shattered beyond all recognition.
That’s an important point. Estimates by international agencies point to 2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordan, and other countries. Add to that the 2 million Iraqis still in-country but made homeless by the invasion/occupation. Given Iraq’s prewar population of about 21 million, nearly 20% of the nation’s people have either fled the country or lost everything they had. The UN projects that at least 40% of the Iraqi middle class has fled the country.
The village has been destroyed. There’s no saving it in sight.