Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Familiar misery in Iraq getting old

'“Seven years!” he shouted, amid a crowd in the dark, claustrophobic warren of Majid Market. “Seven years, and these explosions are still going on?”

An argument ensued, as it often does here. “The first thing in a constitution is the rights of the citizens,” he said. “It’s the respect of the people. There’s no respect here. All we hear are delusions and promises on paper.”

At least you have the freedom to speak, a cousin pointed out. A friend insisted that the dead were really martyrs for a democratic future. These were points heard often after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

They are uttered less now, especially after two days of some of the most vicious bloodletting since 2003 that killed at least 122 people, seven months of political dysfunction that at least hints at a failed state and seven years of occupation, war and misery that have turned disillusionment into disgust.'

6 comments :

Bruno said...

This sort of terrorism can only be stopped by proper policing, and proper policing cannot exist without a strong, accepted state. In other words, Iraqi political solutions will prepare the ground for eradicating Al Qaeda.

Unfortunately, I don't see Iraqis reconciling politically just yet.

Don Cox said...

For once, I agree with Bruno.

Education for tolerance at an early age would help too.

Iraqi Mojo said...

Did the USA detonate car bombs all over Baghdad and kill Iraqi Christians on Sunday? Or did the backward salafi 3arab jarab do that?

Anonymous said...

It was Maliki or the terrorists.

Either way you need to thank the USA for bringing them to Iraq.

Remember under Saddam they were not allowed to enter and if they sneaked in they were caught and put in jail.

You need to get with the program bro

Iraqi Mojo said...

Well Maliki (and Allawi) should learn from saddam then, and get with the program!

Dolly said...

Bruno raises a good point which is that Americans repeatedly said: "Our goal is to draw AQ people into Iraq."

Now of course, that is another thing which they made up as they went along, but nonetheless → that claim of theirs now means
they cannot credibly complain about the presence of AQ in Iraq.