Is there any way to know (Iraq, statistics, regular, deaths)

[fishmonger]

what the violence levels in Iraq are?

This survey from a presumably legitimate polling organization

ORB - Opinion Business Research - Newsroom

ORB - Opinion Business Research - Newsroom

estimates a far, far larger number of violent deaths from the war than any of the newspapers and media, as did the study that was published in the British medical journal a year ago or so, but then on the other hand the US millitary and the Iraqi government produce numbers that are far lower than those in most of the media. Who's right? Who do we believe? The AP? Polling organizations? Governments? Websites? How is one supposed to know what's going on over there?

[tablemtn]

It's hard to say. One thing to remember is that media and US military estimates of civilian deaths track political and terrorist violence. Regular old criminal violence is beyond the reach of those statistics. So, Iraq has its insurgency-related violence, and then also the traditional gang and criminal violence that exists in other countries.

Also, reporting outside of Iraq's major cities is very incomplete. And given the Muslim tradition of burying the dead within 24 hours, accurate counts may never be available.

[oz in SC]

I would think that what the Iraqi people are doing might give some idea...

How many have recently returned to Iraq after fleeing the violence?

I believe the figures stated in the Lancet study have been debunked,even by anti war sources apparently.

A good way to judge if things are going well is the lack of media coverage,if there are few stories coming out of Iraq the situation is improving.