The blighted city
The shocking decline of Iraq’s oil capital
WHEN not organising protests at the gates of Basra’s giant oilfields, jobless graduates spend their days playing dominoes on the banks of the Shatt al-Arab river. By night, giant gas flares light the sky and their game, partly compensating for the blackouts. “We provide the oil that powers the world, but live in darkness,” says a sometime protester.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The blighted city”
From the November 21st 2015 edition
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