If ever there was an awful epitaph for the Iraq war, it’s surely this: “Staying here is like committing suicide.” That’s a quote from a 25-year old Iraqi medical student, summing up the way many of his college-educated peers feel about their country. According to a harrowing story in today’s New York Times, many college graduates are fleeing the country, joining the four million Iraqis estimated to have either abandoned the country or become internally displaced. (pdf.) As the Times explains, it’s a decision that further hollows out the educated middle class necessary for a nation’s ultimate prosperity:
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=180711