A number of terrorist attacks over the past few weeks have called into question President Bush’s claim that the United States

Jeffrey Stroebel [MSOffice1]

“Black Days in Baghdad,” TIME.com

August 28, 2003 [MSOffice2]

A number of terrorist attacks over the past few weeks have called into question President Bush’s claim that the United States is “making good progress” in Iraq [MSOffice3] . Last week terrorists struck at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, killing UN Special Representative Sergio De Mello. These attacks make many believe that establishing law and order in Iraq will be far harder than most Americans originally anticipated.[MSOffice4]

The attack on the UN headquarters is one of many [MSOffice5] as American soldiers continue to be killed on an average of one every other day. Attacks in one city, Fallujah, apparently led the U.S. to withdraw its forces, turning the city over to Iraqi local police. The oil pipeline that sends oil from Iraq to Turkey was attacked only two days after it reopened. Terrorists also bombed the main water pipeline into Baghdad, depriving many in the city of water for several days. The goal of these attacks seems to be to stir up resentment of the U.S.. Even though the effect of the attacks is only to increase the hardships on the Iraqi citizens, many of them suspiciously blame the Americans for all their difficulties.

It is difficult to determine exactly who is responsible for the acts of terrorism. U.S. Ambassador Paul Bremer [MSOffice6] blames forces still loyal to Saddam Hussein. Another source of the problem is Sunni clerics, such as Moqtada al-Sadr, who urge violence against the U.S., afraid that Sunnis may lose the favored position that they held under Saddam. Other Iraqis may be acting against the general humiliation of a foreign occupation. Foreign Islamic militants, such as members of al-Qaeda, have also come into Iraq specifically to fight a jihad or holy war against the Americans.

These attacks will probably not force the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq; however, they will make it harder and more expensive to rebuild the country and turnover control to Iraqis friendly to the U.S..[MSOffice7]

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