Violent death rate in Iraq

[LoungeLizard]

How does the risk of death by violence in Iraq compare to the risk, say, in America or South Africa?

[jno]

impossible to say - I'm supposing you mean people dying in the current insurgency in Iraq. Many of those killings are targeted - policemen, soldiers, anyone seen as connected to the regime (as well as US troops and the suicide bombers themselves). For those with less high profiles, the risk may be quite small. It may also be seen as a temporary situation, though it's also impossible to say how temporary. At any rate, comparing death rates there with those in stable countries like the USA or South Africa is going to be a bit misleading.

[Peter Pedant]

The iraqis at present are using kidnapping and ransom as a way of stocking their larders, [or as a business]. This is not an issue in either US or South Africa

This means that even expatriate Iraqis = rich iraqis are showing a disinclination to re-immigrate.