Getting the Dodge out of Hell

The Guardian reports that those international aid agencies still in Iraq are pulling out quickly.

Juan Cole comments:

The hostage-takers are trying to force agencies and companies out of Iraq in order to deprive the Americans and the caretaker government of their support. And, company after company and agency after agency has packed up and left. As a result, the Americans and the Allawi government are far more isolated than they had expected. The withdrawal of so many companies from Iraq would slow the reconstruction. Some of the companies did trucking, and their absence means goods aren't moving. They aren't investing in Iraq or hiring Iraqis, so the money that would have come into the economy isn't arriving.