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thedrifter
08-12-03, 05:51 AM
Think of all that’s Going Right in Iraq

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Exclusive commentary by Ayad Rahim



Aug 8, 2003


Judging from news reports – of attacks on soldiers, and political sniping at home – some might think that my native Iraq was in a terrible mess. Not so.

Many critics see attacks on coalition troops as signs that Iraqis oppose American involvement. According to two independent surveys, however, 85% of Iraqis and 76% of Baghdadis favor the continued presence of coalition troops. That’s because Iraqis know, to the core of their marrow, that, after 35 years of subjugation, brutality and isolation, they need help, and that if American forces departed prematurely, disaster would likely ensue. Moreover, considering the grip Saddam had on the country for 34 years, and the complicity and loyalty he’d purchased, the dead-end attacks are not surprising, for Saddam’s killers know they don’t have a future in an Iraq without their boss’s patronage and protection, and where past atrocities will be punished. Finally, the overwhelming majority of Iraqis oppose the attacks, knowing that they hinder efforts to rebuild, democratize and modernize the country, and with Saddam's sons dead and two-thirds of the "most wanted" in custody, Iraqis are more and more assisting the campaign to destroy the remains of Saddam’s terrorist apparatus.

Many who militated against toppling Saddam predicted that Iraq would descend into communal violence or civil war. Instead, Iraqis have worked together and closely with coalition authorities and troops. Local councils and courts are functioning throughout the country. Workers in schools, hospitals and government ministries have elected their own leaders, and other shoots democracy are sprouting in the forms of private organizations and 70 new newspapers and magazines. A clean police force is being constituted, as is a defense force, to replace coalition troops. Tens of thousands of Polish, Spanish, Italian and Japanese forces are arriving, too, to help out. Dilapidated schools and infrastructure are being rebuilt, and the economy is being revitalized.

In parts of the country that for more than 20 years were allowed only one hour of electricity a day and no clean water, stunting peoples’ growth, basic services are now almost nonstop.
Except for the isolated contract killings and sabotage, the country is calm and experiencing improved conditions day by day. A transitional government is in place, and Iraqis will soon convene to write the country's constitution, paving the way for elections. A general who previously served in Kosovo said things are happening in Iraq after three months that didn’t happen after 12 months in Kosovo.

One friend in America told me that his brother in Iraq is so happy with the way things are going, he wants to build a statue of President Bush in front of his house. Another friend said his siblings told him they could finally breathe – inside their homes – after years of strangulating fear. My uncle in Baghdad said they’ve been brought back to life.

Many warned that without Saddam, Iraq would break apart, destabilizing the region. Instead, Iraqis of all stripes have shown that their main allegiance is to Iraq, and their main aspiration is to live freely. Most of the country's clergy have counseled patience and cooperation with the coalition, and extremists have not gathered great support. This week, Ayatollah Khomeini’s grandson, having escaped to Iraq, praised America’s role in Iraq. Turkey has not intruded into Iraq, and its Kurds have not risen up in secessionist revolt.

Critics also predicted that if we encroached on Iraqi territory, thousands of American soldiers (many said tens of thousands) would perish, and face urban combat, house-to-house fighting, and chemical and biological attacks. However, because Iraqis wanted to be rescued from Saddam, not fight for him, coalition troops faced little resistance. Instead, they were greeted with jubilation when Iraq was freed, and they are still cheered and received warmly as they carry out their duties.


Military action did not cause a refugee crisis, nor humanitarian or health crises. Environmental disaster also was averted, as dams were not broken and oil fields were rescued before Saddam could set them ablaze, as he did in Kuwait. Iraqi oil production, this time for the benefit of Iraqis, has quickly reached 1.1 million barrels per day and will soon approach peak levels. There also was no spike in oil prices, as world supplies were not disrupted and the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve went untapped. The economy, too, is bouncing back.

Many also predicted that attacking Saddam would unleash an explosion of anger in the "Arab street" and terrorist attacks at home. The evidence appears to argue the converse - that not responding to terrorist attacks in the '80s and '90s perpetuated them, while attacking terrorists halts them. As a result, the world's most powerful terrorist has been dislodged, the Middle East has been moderated and stabilized, and some Arabs, despite their media's attempts at subterfuge and obfuscation, watch with fascination as an experiment in representative democracy unfolds at their doorstep, an eventuality that will transform the region and counter the wave of terrorism.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition forces did their utmost to avoid hitting water pumping stations, electricity networks, hospitals, schools and mosques, even though Saddam used them to base weapons directed at coalition forces.

Thus, by restraint, civilian casualties were kept to a minimum, and the coalition's targeting of Saddam's palaces and bases of power delighted Iraqis, knowing that their salvation was near.


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Ayad Rahim migrated from Iraq to the U.S. in 1971.

http://www.washingtondispatch.com/article_6332.shtml


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: