I stumbled across some interesting figures about the 'insurgency' in Iraq. I have pointed out before that the violence maintained by small numbers does not deserve the dignity of this word, but what I find intriguing about these statistics - gathered by the left-leaning Brookings Institution - is how far out of sync they are with the picture presented in the media.
In the past six months the number of Coalition troops killed in Iraq has fallen by two thirds. It has been a pretty steady decline. The number of Iraqi security personnel killed is also falling, though the fall is smaller, and not quite so smooth. The number of car bombing has fallen by 50% over the same period, though it was basically a precipitate fall from one plateau to another.
The figures for civilians killed has been much more volatile, though the general trend is clearly down. The most recent figure is half that for the previous month, and down more than 80% in 8 months.
While not a one-sided picture the fuller figures presented on another blog make fascinating reading. Incidentally, the blog, called MyElectionAnalysis, is a first class American psephology site, well worth checking out for other reasons.