The Parking Lot
Basrah, Iraq  2002

     One afternoon, taking a break from the long days of meetings and rushing to and fro, we took a dory ride up the Shatt al-Arab River. We passed this stretch of shoreline at Basrah where boats were lined up like a parking lot. All the boats had seen better days; many were living corpses, used as a places to live, while others were still functional as boats. Another example of how the effects of sanctions permeate the economy.

CSpaulding
January 2003