The Dora Market: Petraeus' 'Potemkin Village'?
As Congress returns to Washington this week, Morning Edition reports it will be Iraq 'round the clock — at least until Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker deliver their report next week on how things are going. They are expected to say that security is improving.
One of the main examples Petraeus uses to support his optimism is the Dora market in Baghdad. The Washington Post quotes a soldier who calls it "General Petraeus's baby." The market, once a target for roadside bombings and other attacks, now boasts 349 vendors. (Before the American-led invasion in 2003, there were more than 850.) It's often shown to politicians and other generals who travel to the country.
But while used as a symbol of improved security, the market is also a bit of a mirage ... or "a Potemkin village of sorts," the Post reports. The area is heavily patrolled by U.S. troops. Merchants are given $2,500 by the U.S. to open a stall. The military has rebuilt shops that burned down. The market attracts few people from outside Dora because of the danger. And the shops are only open for a few hours a day.
1st Lt. Jose Molina, who is in charge of monitoring and disbursing the grant money, said the U.S. military includes barely operating stores in its tally. "Although they sell dust, they are open for business," said Molina, 35, from Dallas. "They intend to sell goods or they may just have a handful of goods. But they are still counted."
The Dora market is a great example of the dilemma faced by the U.S. On the one hand, security has improved enough to allow the Dora market to be open for business. But on the other hand, the improvement is heavily propped up by the U.S. military, leaving one to wonder what happens once the U.S. leaves.
10:07 AM ET | 09- 4-2007 | permalink
