One of the fears of the civil disorder in Iraq was that it would lead to spill-over into the neighbouring countries. This has happened, according to the Washington Post there are approximately two million Iraqi refugees in Syria, Jordon, Lebanon, Iran and Egypt. In addition to the exodus, it is estimated that 1.7 million Iraqis have been displaced and forced to relocate within Iraq.

To put that in persepective, the Australian Diaspora is approximately one million and about five percent of the Australian population; the Iraqi Diaspora is now double that in the space of three years and approximately eight percent of the pre-war population. So nearly 8% of the country have fled in three years of violence and disorder.

Source: Washington Post, War in Iraq Sets Off Massive Migration.

What should Australia's policy be on this issue? Iraq will eventually be a liberal democratic state with an open market economy as this remains this best technologies to bring prosperity to a people. Though it will probably have to wait twenty year until the current civil war and its future perturbations finally die down.

However, Australia should set itself up for this eventuality by taking some of these refugees, maybe as many as 10,000 a year, in order to establish more Australians that are familiar with Iraq for future trading and diplomatic reasons. There will be a day when we can sell wheat to Iraq without having to pay 300 million in bribes, it will be good if we have Iraqi-Australians who have prospered in Australia to help make this a reality.

More Reading on Iraq

• Iraq
• Refugees
• Immigration
• Liberal Secularism is the Answer to Terrorism
• TAZ - Temporary Autonomous Zone
• Rule of Thumbscrew
• Cut and Run
• New Defence Report Coming Out Next Week
• From Mecca To Baghdad
• Australian Concerns On Terror
• Indonesia and Nation Building From Within
• Rosen on Iraq
• Three Reason-able Questions