When will Iraq be liberated?
It’s not often I blog about news from Iraq but today is an exception. This post is partly on Saddam being sentenced to death but there is a much bigger reason that will become clear very soon.
Saddam was today found guilty and sentenced to hang.
When the news broke that he was sentenced to hang there were demonstrations for and against the verdict. It sounds like Iraq is finally allowing basic freedoms like freedom to protest right? Wrong! The protesters that were demonstrating against the verdict were attacked by the Iraqi army on national television. Sounds like they have a free press doesn’t it when the media can report on what is happening? Wrong! Those news channels that were showing the pro-Saddam demonstrations were shut down after Iraqi security forces raided them.
What freedoms does Iraq actually have seeing as how we liberated them? They have freedom to protest as long as they protest about what the government wants them to protest about and they have freedom of the press as long as the news broadcasts what the government wants them to broadcast.
If you want to know more then I recommend reading the Baghdad Burning blog by an Iraqi woman who is actually experiencing life in the newly liberated Iraq.
2 comments:
I try and steer clear of items about Iraq too, not because I disagreed with the war (I didn't) but because I disagree about the way they are going about it.
I'm afraid that I'm not one of those people who think you have to apply the "hearts and minds" philosophy to war. It may be possible to do this if you are dealing with an enemy that is culturally similar to you - but when it is an enemy who is culturally opposite to you then you're flogging a dead horse.
The best thing to do then is go in quick, hit them hard and get out fast. Don't hang around. If they start playing up again - repeat as necessary.
I have no doubt that Iraq (and Afghanistan) will be back where they started from in 5-10 years from the time we pull out. It's in their nature. it is what they want. They do not want democracy. If they did, then the people would take it themselves like any other nation.
I don't report on the Iraq war either because I don't know why Britain is involved due to the lies our polititians keep telling us.
Is it about WMDs?
Is it about US oil?
Is it about regime change?
Is it a precurser to war with Iran?
I suspect many who oppose the war do so because they don't really know why we're involved.
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