Robert Fisk’s mail bag

In his latest column for the British Independent, Robert Fisk writes:

“By chance, as Bush was speaking this week, my mail bag flopped open to reveal a letter from my old American military analyst friend, George W Appenzeller. He gently (and rightly) corrects some recent comparative figures I used on US casualties in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.”

After making several good points, toward the end Fisk writes about the most important one:

Now for much more blood, the civilian variety. According to George, "About 1,600,000 were killed in the Korean war, 365,000 (according to American authorities) and four million (according to the Vietnamese government) during the American phase of the Vietnam war, and who knows how many in Iraq. No fewer than 250,000, certainly." Not that long ago, Bush claimed that civilian fatalities in Iraq were "30,000 more or less" – again, note the "more or less" – but I can see why these statistics matter even less for him. (…)

While it’s important to remember that Bush’s "30,000 more or less" came from Iraq Body Count, it’s ironic that Robert Fisk reproduces a letter of his “old American military analyst friend, George W Appenzeller” to correct “some recent comparative figures”, when Fisk’s old friend seems to wander in the dark as he writes “and who knows how many in Iraq. No fewer than 250,000, certainly".

Being that excellent reporter we all rightly respect, Robert Fisk surely knows about the scientific studies on this topic published on the British medical journal The Lancet as well as the polls published by the British ORB, that estimated that over 1,000,000 Iraqi citizens have died as a result of the conflict which started in 2003 [Please, see below]. Nevertheless he let his friend’s words unchallenged in a piece whose central point is exactly those figures his friend writes about.

Maybe some of my readers could write to Robert Fisk to gently (and rightly) correct those figures he used in his latest Independent’s column so that when he checks his mail bag next time he will have more letters to write about. [It seems Robert Fisk doesn't use the Internet, so please write him a letter and send it to The Independent]

You may want to send Robert Fisk the following:

Iraq: the Human Cost

Updated Iraq Survey Affirms Earlier Mortality Estimates

ORB Update on Iraqi Casualty Data

Answers to Questions About Iraq Mortality Surveys

Counting Iraqi Casualties -- and a Media Controversy

What is the real death toll in Iraq?

PLEASE, READ ALSO:

EXTRA ZERO - An Exchange With The Independent’s John Rentoul

‘WITH TOTAL DESTRUCTION’ - THE FAILURE OF JOURNALISM IN IRAQ

ALL SMOKE, NO FIRE - THE NATIONAL JOURNAL SMEARS THE LANCET