Johann Hari, in an otherwise illuminating interview with Salman Rushdie, repeats the canard: “Just after we meet, it is estimated by the Lancet that 650,000 Iraqis have been killed due to Quiet Americans (and Brits).” The number of deaths from violence, according to the Lancet, is 600,000, not 650,000. And once again, the study does not show that all the deaths are “due to” Americans or Brits. It shows that 69% of the deaths are from “other” and “unknown” causes.
The statisticians of Iraq Body Count have weighed in on the Lancet study here. In short, they demolish the study as completely unreliable. But they conclude with this, and I second it:
Do the American people need to believe that 600,000 Iraqis have been killed before they can turn to their leaders and say “enough is enough”? The number of certain civilian deaths that has been documented to a basic standard of corroboration by “passive surveillance methods” surely already provides all the necessary evidence to deem this invasion and occupation an utter failure at all levels.
Norm Geras, one of the most stalwart liberal hawks in the UK, has declared the war a failure as well.
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