Quote

Despite the fact that there's billions of dollars sitting in the Iraqi government reserves, somehow they are incapable of getting it out to the people. There are a very large number of people here who are on the edge of starvation. For those sort of people - a sizable chunk of people - that service makes them regard Muqtada as a sort of god.

Patrick Cockburn

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Patrick Cockburn
Age: 73
Born: 1951
Born: March 5
Journalist
War Correspondent
Ireland
Republic of
Patrick Oliver Cockburn
Numbers
Despite
Chunks
Sort
Somehow
Starvation
Getting
Service
Iraqi
Fact
Dollars
Reserves
Facts
Regard
Incapable
Makes
Large
Edge
Government
Number
Billions
Sizable
People
Sitting
Edges
Chunk

More quotes by Patrick Cockburn

Image
Mosul stands rally at a sort of juncture of sectarian and ethnic differences.
Patrick Cockburn
Image
Everything that happens in Iraq affects countries outside.
Patrick Cockburn
Image
In 2014, everybody kind of knows that the Iraqi army fled when it was attacked by ISIS. But actually, the Kurdish Peshmerga, although they had a better reputation, fled even faster, about a month later, when they were attacked.
Patrick Cockburn
Image
Muqtada leads the only real mass movement in Iraq. It's a mass movement of the Shia, who are 60 percent of the population, and of poor Shia - and most Shia are poor. Otherwise the place is full of sort of self-declared leaders, many of whom spend most of their time outside Iraq.
Patrick Cockburn
Image
I don't think the whole of Iraq would be under al-Sadr, but I think he would be the predominant force on the Shia side. Quite contrary to his sort of maverick, firebrand image, he's shown a propensity to deal with the other side, to look for compromises, to negotiate. You might have a loose federation [in Iraq].
Patrick Cockburn
Image
Muqtada is radical in the sense that he wants the U.S. occupation to end and has always said so from the beginning. Secondly, his support among the Shia really runs along class lines it's mainly the poor who support him. His organization runs an enormous social network.
Patrick Cockburn
Image
It's always sort of amazing, sitting in Baghdad, to watch visiting dignitaries being received in the Green Zone by politicians who have usually very little support and seldom go outside the Green Zone.
Patrick Cockburn
Image
A defeat for ISIS in Iraq will be defeat for ISIS in Syria.
Patrick Cockburn