You may remember, we met back in 2005 or 2006 at the University of Virginia when you were there to discuss the Iraqi constitution. Anyway, I just came across your post and thought I'd write to let you know that I'm in Baghdad now as a journalist. The Iraqis I spoke with today in Sadr City were joking about Al Maliki's Happy New Year text message, saying that he paid for it for money their tax money, and that money would've been better spent on reconstruction. Not that Iraqis pay much, if anything, in taxes.
I have heard the sentiment repeated frequently that America's meddling continues here; some people believe the ministries are rife with CIA agents and that there is even a secret military force in the Green Zone that is still doing night raids with the Iraqi military. It will be a long time before anyone here really believes that the US is gone.
A Sadrist sheikh with whom I spoke today did, however, say something different than the norm. He said, "We don't care about trainers or security guards at the embassy, we care about having tanks and Humvees in front of our houses, and only when we saw them rolling through the gates to Kuwait could we really believe they were gone. It was the first time we slept a full night in years."
Mr. Cole, I always appreciate your commentary, but why are you writing "Albu Fahd," etc.? It's "Abu."
Hi Juan,
You may remember, we met back in 2005 or 2006 at the University of Virginia when you were there to discuss the Iraqi constitution. Anyway, I just came across your post and thought I'd write to let you know that I'm in Baghdad now as a journalist. The Iraqis I spoke with today in Sadr City were joking about Al Maliki's Happy New Year text message, saying that he paid for it for money their tax money, and that money would've been better spent on reconstruction. Not that Iraqis pay much, if anything, in taxes.
I have heard the sentiment repeated frequently that America's meddling continues here; some people believe the ministries are rife with CIA agents and that there is even a secret military force in the Green Zone that is still doing night raids with the Iraqi military. It will be a long time before anyone here really believes that the US is gone.
A Sadrist sheikh with whom I spoke today did, however, say something different than the norm. He said, "We don't care about trainers or security guards at the embassy, we care about having tanks and Humvees in front of our houses, and only when we saw them rolling through the gates to Kuwait could we really believe they were gone. It was the first time we slept a full night in years."
Make of that what you will.
-Elliott