About once a week, U.S. politicians, generals, and troops visit the Dora market in Iraq. The bustling commerce, in a relatively safe area, is proof that the surge is beginning to have an effect. After all, if there were no progress, a stroll through the market would be impossible.
There’s only one problem: it’s a scam. Sudarsan Raghavan exposes this charade as “a Potemkin village.” Staff Sgt. Josh Campbell called the market “General Petraeus’s baby,” not because the general is proud of its success, but because Dora is a showcase necessary to pull off the broader masquerade — if VIPs think the market is indicative of broader success, then they may give the administration more time and money to pursue a strategy that doesn’t work.
The U.S. military hands out $2,500 grants to shop owners to open or improve their businesses. The military has fixed windows and doors and even helped rebuild shops that had burned down, soldiers and others said.
“We helped them a lot. We gave them money, security, even the locks on their doors,” said a 36-year-old Iraqi interpreter at the outpost whom U.S. soldiers call Jimmy for security reasons. He asked that his real name not be used. “Everything we gave them. That’s why the violence has stopped. That’s why they cooperate with us.”
Some shopkeepers said they would not do business in the market without U.S. support. “The Americans are giving money, so they’re opening up stores,” said Falah Hassan Fadhil, 27, who sells cosmetics.
1st Lt. Jose Molina, who is in charge of monitoring and disbursing the grant money, said the U.S. military includes barely operating stores in its tally. “Although they sell dust, they are open for business,” said Molina, 35, from Dallas. “They intend to sell goods or they may just have a handful of goods. But they are still counted.”
Sgt. Campbell told Raghavan the market shouldn’t be considered an emblem of the surge’s success. “Personally, I think it’s a false representation,” Campbell said. “But what can I say? I’m just doing my job and don’t ask questions.”
The closer one looks at the charade, the worse it appears.
Security measures in the market are rigorous. Vehicles are not allowed inside for fear of car bombs. Customers are body-searched at checkpoints. Humvees constantly patrol the area, which is the sole focus of the 50 or so soldiers of Combat Outpost Gator.
But the Dora market has not regained its former cachet as one of southeastern Baghdad’s most vibrant commercial centers. Before the invasion, many of its stores stayed open past midnight. Today, they are open for just a few hours, and by noon the market is mostly deserted. The shopkeepers, who are mostly Sunni, said they rarely see customers from outside Dora because it is too dangerous to travel here.
“If the Americans were not here, we would close earlier, maybe one or two hours,” said shopkeeper Alaa Hussein Mahmoud, 32. “I’m always scared about the militias.”
Two days earlier, a squad of Iraqi police entered the market. Shoppers left and shopkeepers scurried to shutter their businesses. The police are widely said to be infiltrated by Shiite militias. “We were scared of them. Everybody ran away,” said Hussein Ali, 37, another shop owner.
Remember, according to the Bush administration (and Lieberman, McCain, & Co.), this market is a crown jewel. This market had 850 shops before we invaded, now it has 349, including many that only exist because the U.S. military props the stores up. The market is barely open, because customers and shop owners fear their own country’s security forces might kill them. I’d call this many things, but “success” isn’t one of them.
Kevin Drum asks the pertinent question:
With enough time, money, and manpower you can secure any single neighborhood. No argument there. But how many of these showcase neighborhoods are there? Visitors could come to Iraq by the planeload and all report back that they were individually impressed with what they saw, but how meaningful is this if it turns out they all saw the same few places?
Not meaningful at all, actually.