Nothing Easy About Being the Mayor of Baghdad
The municipal headaches that greet Alaa Tamimi each morning might send many big-city mayors diving under the covers. Services are woeful, starting with a drinking-water supply that is only about two-thirds of what is needed for his city’s 5 million residents. And a fourth of the metropolis isn’t linked to the chronically leaky sewer system. Few stoplights work, and traffic is horrendous — in large part because of the closure of several key routes by a force beyond his control: the U.S. military. Security is abysmal, with the constant threat of mortar strikes, car bombings and assassinations. Full Story