THE REAL IRAQ [Letter from Baghdad]

NY Post ^ | 7-17-03 | AMIR TAHERI

[mikenola]

July 17, 2003 -- Open up almost any American or European publication these days, and you'll be bombarded with grim news about "horrific" conditions in Iraq - and America's "poor handling" of the post-war reconstruction effort. All of which, it is claimed, is made all the more tragic - because President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair maliciously exaggerated the threat from Iraq. They may have won the war, but they're losing they peace. Author and Middle East expert Amir Taheri spent several days on the ground in Iraq last week and found reality to be starkly different from what is so ubiquitously reported.

[mikenola]

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[Bluegrass Federalist]

Excellent article. I wish FNC would put up a map highlighting that 1% area in which the attacks are taking place. That gives a clearly different perspective.

[kevkrom]

THERE are two Iraqs today: One as portrayed by those in America and Europe who wish to use it as a means of damaging Bush and Blair, and the other as it really exists, home to 24 million people with many hopes and aspirations and, naturally, some anxiety about the future.

Bump.

[eureka!]

Sad that such facts get so little play. A pox on the dishonest houses of the presstitutes...

[sandydipper]

Thank You - Thank You!!

[Sloth]

Here's a map of where most of the attacks are concentrated:

[Sergio]

Great article to read first thing in the morning. Thanks for posting.

[Arkie2]

I don't see Fort Marcy park on that map.

[noDixieCan]

BTTT

[God luvs America]

Amazing huh, how the press tries to skew everyone's views...like I've always said, it's not Freedom of the Press its' free reign of the press!

[alloysteel]

The Iraqis themselves would be the conclusive opinion on whether things are [personally] better or worse than the situation before the fall of Saddam. In the parts of Germany that were liberated (at least by the British and Americans) in WW II, the local civilians, and most if not all the regular German army that surrendered, greeted the columns with relief and and some cases, jubilation. They were finally free of a nightmare, even though the near future offered little but hardship and misery. It was still a future in which they themselves could shape in some way. But the internal oppressors, the Nazi civilians who enforced the edicts from Berlin, often suffered a quite ignominious fate at the hands of their neighbors, unless they were captured by the liberators first.

So in a way, the civilian Iraqis ARE worse off, in a material sense, but infinitely better off in a personal sense. The material situation is rapidly improving, in some cases already better than the almost uniform deprivation everybody was subject to under Saddam, and with the added benefit that they may complain of their situation, something not looked upon warmly on March 1, 2003.

[Pokey78]

BTTT

[kevkrom]

I don't see Fort Marcy park on that map.

This is just focusing on the attacks, not where the casualties were found...

[rudypoot]

Ping

[Coop]

Some good news I wanted to share. Well worth the few minutes to read.

[Coop]

Thanks very much for posting this excellent news.

[Captain Kirk]

Thanks for the ping. Of course, the U.S. invasion did a good thing by deposing Saddam. Many bad actions have good consequences but that doesn't make them right.

[patton]

Bump.

[rudypoot]

You're welcome.

"Many bad actions have good consequences but that doesn't make them right."

True. But don't blame the US for what Saddam did. 20 years of Saddam is not easy to erase.