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Attacks a daily event in Baghdad
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We are now more than three years on from the US-led invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein has, of course, been overthrown and elections have been held, yet the country remains in chaos.
Increasing violence has led some to say a civil war is already underway in the country. Others, President Bush amongst them, say it's not.
Whatever you call it, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed since the US-led military offensive and there's little sign of things getting better for ordinary Iraqis anytime soon.
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The growing divide along religious lines between Sunni and Shiite groups is one of the main concerns.
The blowing up of the al-Askari Shi'ite shrine in Samarra in February, one of the holiest Shi'ite shrines, has led to a series of inter-religious killings and the tensions show no sign of abating.
Amsterdam Forum focused on Iraq this week.
The panellists:
Nada Doumani, Iraq spokeswoman for the International Committee for the Red Cross.
Dr Adil Nuaimi, Baghdad representative for the aid agency Life for Relief and Development.
Sawsan Al Sayyab, a pharmacist who lives in Baghdad.
Waiel Alkhateeb, chairman of the Dutch Iraqi Youth organisation.
Key quotes:
Is it civil war? Sawsan Al-Sayyab:
"What do you define as civil war? I mean, now we have sectarian killing every day, we have people who are displaced from neighbourhoods, every day people are getting threats to move from one area to another, so if this is civil war, then I think civil war is on now in Baghdad."
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US troops struggle to understand the world around them in Baghdad
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"Well, I can't comment directly on that - the important thing is what's happening directly on the ground - the protection issues are really the major concern, people being killed, people being kidnapped and people being displaced. But we have to differentiate between the various regions in Iraq - this extremely bad human rights and humanitarian situation applies essentially to the central part of Iraq - Baghdad and its neighbourhoods, less in the north - in the Kurdish areas in terms of security the situation is much better - and then in the south it's on and off. So, the overall situation depends very much on the provinces where you are."
Waiel Alkhateeb on the civil war question:
"I don't think it's civil war because the civilians aren't fighting each other - there is sectarian violence. There is one group that is trying to force the Iraqi people into sectarian hate and hatred - so there's one common enemy for all Iraqis at the moment and these are the Wahabi terrorists and the Saddamist criminals who are trying to kill on both sides and try to make people feel there is a civil war and hate each other so that they cannot build a united Iraq."
Dr Adil Nuaimi on the most pressing need for ordinary Iraqis at present:
"I think security is the first priority for the people and second there is a lack of everything. There is no work for most of the people, more than 70 percent don't have work and also there is a lack of services, electricity water, the sewers and garbage collection. The prices in the markets are very high, so the people are suffering through that."
Sawsan Al-Sayyab on deteriorating situation:
"Every day is getting worse and since this bombing of this shrine in Samarra it is more evident that life in Baghdad is getting worse, we hear of kidnapping and killing everyday."
Dr Adil Nuaimi on why he thinks its worse now than it was under Saddam Hussein:
"During the Saddam period you could go and buy something safely and come back to your house and nobody, especially in Baghdad, can feel safe going to the market to buy something and going back to their house now."
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Elections were heralded as a victory - but four months on still no government
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"If you go to medical legal institute in Baghdad, which is the central body where you bring bodies of people killed in violent circumstances, the number of people killed in this way has steadily increased in the past three years and these are figures given by the institute and they are certified. So there is a huge problem of protection for the lives of the people currently in Iraq - this is a fact."
Waiel Alkhateeb looking ahead:
"The situation now is much worse than we expected, however I can also see some positive signs, I see the relief work and I see hospitals being built and I also see people who start to work for their own livelihoods. I hope that with forming the government and people getting back to the basics of life the security situation could be bettered and that is now the key issue in Iraq if that can be improved for a little bit, then I think we can see a lot of growth in infrastructure and rebuilding."
Sawsan Al-Sayyab looking ahead:
"I had to face all these war events and I was here all the time in Baghdad and so it was not an easy experience to live with all this bombing and shelling and seeing your house coming apart in front of your eyes, but we had a slight hope. I had a lot of hope that things would maybe change now, that we will maybe now be free to change the world and give something to the world."
"I had so many hopes that I could improve the situation and the country but after one year all my hopes had gone - now after three years I don't know what to say - I feel like everything is gone, is shattered. It's very hard for me to see my country broken in this way."
Tags: Baghdad, Bush, death, insurgents, Iraq war, Jaafari, killing, Red Cross, terrorists