"With the virtual collapse of the state, rules have fallen away and the city seems almost to have caved in on itself in an egocentric free-for-all. Drivers shove past one another under broken traffic lights. Policemen gesture frantically to try to control them. And while in other capitals a traffic jam may cause you to miss a meeting, in Baghdad it may get you kidnapped or even killed." NYT.
3 Comments
LA road rage aint got nothin' on that!
Interesting... Especially considering the movement--in certain circles--towards 'lawless' traffic rules. I just read an article (sorry, no link) touting the benefits of the typical, uncontrolled, chaotic SE Asian street scene over the uber-regulation of North America.
driftwood,
that's an important irony to be sure. consider that in the context of this: U.S., Iraqi troops succeeds in largely securing what was once the most dangerous highway in Iraq.
The more we institute forms of control, the greataer perhaps we inspire a system of chaos which invariably dismantles that control. So, while US pretends to have secured one of the most notoriously chaotic roadways in Iraq, the rest of the country spirals ever more into anarchy.
I have been on the crazy roads of many third world countries, and honestly felt more safe there than most gridlock or urban grind here in California.
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