One More Source of Iraq Trend Graphics - Iraq Coalition Casualties

So far, in our previous posts on Iraq we have pulled together a set of 16 different How Are Things Going in Iraq Charts from three different sources. We have:

• 9 trends from the Brookings Iraq Index
• 4 trends from the Department of State Weekly Iraq Status Report
• 3 trends from Global Security.org

Complementing these are another 5 trend graphs drawn from Iraq Coalition Casualties and these cover some topics not previously addressed in the earlier charts (e.g. IED fatalities). they Also present some important information again but in a different format thereby bringing out additional details and nuances not readily visible earlier - for example adding notations for the timing of important events to the chart showing US Soldiers killed.

The 5 charts show:

1. US Soliders Killed with moving avg & event timing - March 2003 - December 30, 2006
   
2. US Soldiers Wounded with moving avg - Sept 6, 2003 - Dec 29, 2006
3. IED Fatalities per month - July 2003 - January 2007
4. Iraqi Police/Military fatalities - January 2005 - December 2006
5. Iraqi Civilian fatalities - January 2005 - December 2006

This brings us to a total of 21 charts. I think you will see that by arranging these together in a somewhat more convenient and time-saving format than the separate originals, your understanding of what's happening in Iraq has been boosted. I think you will also see that being able to look at all 21 one of these in a relatively short period of time by scrolling down this blog allows you to develop more of a gestalt understanding of how all the factors interact and impact on each other.

• How many charts is enough?
• Are we there yet?
  
• Do we already have everything we need to understand the situation?
• Is it relatively easy for decision makers or interested citizens to get rapid access to all of the most important factors?
• Do we now have the full deck of cards that will allow us to make wise choices?
• Have we arranged things so that automatic monitoring and reporting of key factors enables us to determine quickly whether the actions we take are having the desired effect as we go forward?

I think not. My two cents is that we are not there yet and in the next few posts, I will aim at making some further improvements that make these important trends more accessible to both decision makers and ordinary citizens. I will also lay out a plan for even further improvements that could be available to us in the future if we begin to take appropriate decisive action now.