Today is six years since the twin towers went down and we still don't know the complete truth about the events of 9/11, but what we do know are the events after 9/11. General Patreaus today faced his second day of questioning in Washington,DC. Off course there were the usual grilling by the presidential candidates declaring the Iraq surge as a "foreign policy disaster", if we were slanted to Mr Obama. Amidst all this I found it amusing that the puppet that is in charge of Iraq was shoved into the spotlight. Mr Al Maliki was tainted by talks of him siding with the shias and falling short of expectations to bringing the country back to its feet. He is also said to be getting cozy with Iran. Really? I don't see how picking someone from one sect of Islam to lead a country torn by a civil war was supposed to be successful. To add oil to an already heated situation, US decides to arm some Sunni leaders in hopes of driving a wedge between Al Qaeda and Sunni leaders in Iraq. They call this the "Anbar model" since it was professed to work in Anbar province.
What exactly is US playing at? This is just a repeat of history. Afghanistan was armed to fight against the Russian by the US not that long ago. After Russia was defeated, the Taliban took over and gave refuge to all sorts of short men with beards. When Saddam was fighting against Iran, who did the US give arms to? Then Saddam committed genocide against the Kurds to which US turned a blind eye. Whenever US gets involved in a conflict, it never turns out well for the civilians who live in those areas. Arming sunnis against shias and expecting them to come to the negotiating table is preposterous. History has shown that there is no love lost between these two sects especially since Shias have lived under the thumb of Saddam Hussein for decades.
Everyday, Iraq people live events just like 9/11. Everyday, they see loved ones die for no other reason other than hatred. There is nothing the US can do to right the wrongs they have committed in this region but they can start by leaving the country to its citizens. Iraq used to be a metropolitan city like others in the region and given time the citizens will rebuild it. Leaders in the Arab world and the Muslim world should take a more active role in the rebuilding of Iraq. A country that is unstable is never good for the region and hence it would be beneficial for them to ensure the security and rebuilding of this once great nation.
6 comments:
Few days ago, Fareinheit911 was playing on the TV. Although I watched this docu-film when it came out - re-watching some of the scences about the bombing Iraq victims really tears to my eyes. There was a middle-aged lady running from the direction of destroyed house crying and screaming 'they have no conscience! They slaughtered us! May God destroy their homes!' and the emotions on her face were intensely sorrowful. I can still see her holding her head and crying when I close my eyes. She is a fellow Muslim who hasn't done anything to deserve the carnage she's been visited with and there is nothing I can do to help her. Thousands upon thousands like her exist in Iraq and all we hear about is 9/11. It is a scandal, really.
"Bad things sometimes happen to good people"
I sometimes like to think problems are God's way of testing our iman. My logical brain off course categorically argues against this but its my belief and not a fact.
US gets mired in other people's business to profit and if something good comes off it then whoppie its a side effect. The trail they leave behind is self explanatory yet they don't seem to learn. Shouldn't there be a learning curve somewhere along the line?
SD, no learning curve is necessary for American foreign policy. They know exactly what they're doing in Iraq in the same way they knew what they were doing when they killed 4 million Vietnamese on a lie.
Nearly a million Iraqis have died and nothing short of mass trials at the Hague for Bush, Blair and everyone below them (Al Maliki included) are in order. Crimes against humanity and genocide in Iraq should be their crime and they all should spend the remainder of their murderous days in prison.
For Iraq's oil, the remaining 24 million of their population could be killed and nothing short of military resources wearing out will make the US blink an eye.
Aya
This is still not confirmed but I recently heard that Al Maliki was trying to pass a bill through the system that would give a huge chunk of the oil ownership/drilling rights to american/british companies. If this is true this charade of a government the US put in power has to be whipped in the streets of the Baghdad by Iraqis themselves.
SD,I would not be surprised at all. It is the exact reason he is armed and protected by the US. Everything they do is so clear to the eyes of people in the world but no one can get them out of Iraq. Maliki's government should be tried by the people of Iraq.
This is too depressing.
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