Fueling Anger in Iraq (washingtonpost.com): "Iraq is a country starved of petroleum products. Not only is gasoline in short supply, but so too are diesel, kerosene and propane.
Over the past few weeks, lines for gasoline and other petroleum products have grown to lengths unimaginable even by the standards of the U.S. energy crisis in the 1970s. Some are miles long, forcing drivers to wait all day for a turn at the pump. Many Iraqis have taken to spending the night in their cars. Others have resorted to buying gas on the black market for 20 times the pump price.
The difficulty in obtaining a commodity that Iraqis had long taken for granted has fueled a new wave of anger and frustration with the U.S. occupation, particularly among moderate, middle-class city dwellers who find themselves unable to drive to work, drop their children off at school or go shopping in this car-dependent city. The popular discontent appears to match the fury that enveloped Baghdad when electricity service dropped to just a few hours a day over the summer.
..."If we had security, we would have fuel," said Dathar Khashab, the director of the Daura refinery in southern Baghdad.
...Life is worse now than it was during the war,' said Mazen Bayar, a retired foreman who works part time as a taxi driver. 'I spend all day in the line. There's no time to work.' "
- posted by geoff @ #