Perspectives from Iraq
posted by Gavin | 11:18 PM
After a year of only remotely following the Iraq situation, I've been more interested of late. I would like to see the coalition leave Iraq in better shape, and with a brighter future, than it had before we went in 4 years ago. The question these days is whether that is possible, or should we 'give up' and pull out, leading the Iraqis to determine their future themselves -- a move that might result in greater violence than we've seen under the coalition occupation.
A few weeks ago I read about Jane Stillwater, a grandmother from Berkeley, who had saved up her own money to head off to Iraq and blog from it. As you might expect from Berkeley, she's very anti-war, anti-Bush, and originally felt that the troops needed to come home right away. After spending several days there and learning what the situation was really like, she isn't sure when would be best to bring the troops home. I imagine she's not alone. She was witness to the aftermath of the Parliament bombing a few days ago. It's an interesting read, I recommend starting from late March when she arrives.
There's another reporter blogging from Iraq, Michael Yon. He doesn't post often, but his posts are often very revealing in terms of what life is like out of the Green Zone for the coalition forces.
Here's a 9 minute youtube clip of Pamela Hess, a UPI reporter, relating her recent journey to Iraq circa a month ago and comparing it to her visit in 2003. The recent trip obviously had a great emotional impact for her. Her message is essentially that regardless of the original rationale for deposing Saddam, there is a real need right now for security, that there are many people who need the help the coalition forces are trying to provide. Here's a short interview with her before her latest trip, for a contrast.
I have not yet found a good blog from an Iraqi, but I only started looking tonight.
A few weeks ago I read about Jane Stillwater, a grandmother from Berkeley, who had saved up her own money to head off to Iraq and blog from it. As you might expect from Berkeley, she's very anti-war, anti-Bush, and originally felt that the troops needed to come home right away. After spending several days there and learning what the situation was really like, she isn't sure when would be best to bring the troops home. I imagine she's not alone. She was witness to the aftermath of the Parliament bombing a few days ago. It's an interesting read, I recommend starting from late March when she arrives.
There's another reporter blogging from Iraq, Michael Yon. He doesn't post often, but his posts are often very revealing in terms of what life is like out of the Green Zone for the coalition forces.
Here's a 9 minute youtube clip of Pamela Hess, a UPI reporter, relating her recent journey to Iraq circa a month ago and comparing it to her visit in 2003. The recent trip obviously had a great emotional impact for her. Her message is essentially that regardless of the original rationale for deposing Saddam, there is a real need right now for security, that there are many people who need the help the coalition forces are trying to provide. Here's a short interview with her before her latest trip, for a contrast.
I have not yet found a good blog from an Iraqi, but I only started looking tonight.
2 Comments:
I'm a big fan of Riverbend, an liberal, middle class Iraqi woman who's been blogging for years in English. She's very anti-US involvement, though, so her blog is one sided. She has also published a book. Her blog is linked from mine as "Baghdad Burning".
I definitely know what I thought about our original invasion - it was wrong, ill-conceived, etc. However, I am with most of those use posted in that it would be a disaster if we pulled out. I'd like to think if we did, International efforts would step up to fill the void we left, but I'm too cynical to think that would really happen.
I think the solution now is diplomatic, rather than military. We leave the military there to attempt to maintain security, but its time to step up the diplomats involvement in brokering some sort of alliance between the Shiaa and Sunni's - only when that sectarian violence stops will it be possible to turn over security of the country to the Iraqis.
(Becca posting from Cari's computer)
I've always felt that once we decided to topple the government in Iraq, we then had a responsibility to stay until the situation for the Iraqis is better than the one we found them in. I never believed that would be a simple or short solution, which is most of why I didn't like the invasion in the first place. I never believed the "they will welcome us as liberators" sentiments would last long enough to create a stable Iraq. And I didn't think the American public would support the long road, or that the administration had workable plans for traveling the long road.
Unfortunately, I don't see any vision in the Bush plan for Iraq's future that will result in an improvement in the situation. Continuing in our present course certainly won't help, and I don't hear any substantial new ideas from the White House. Also unfortunately, the American public seems to have tired of the war (predictably) so I don't see anyone getting elected next year without campaigning for withdrawal.
So, in short, we made a mess, didn't have a plan to clean it up, aren't willing to stay long enough to make a new plan, and generally destabilized another country in the middle east.
And I don't feel any safer.
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