'It's Baghdad, Stupid'
Published in Azzaman
(Iraq) on 15 October 2006
by Fatih Abdulsalam (link to original)
The failure to halt the forced sectarian evacuation of people in Baghdad is yet another indication that the situation in the country is out of control. This shows how isolated the centers of power in Baghdad are from their surroundings, and that the only evidence of power they have left are the making of futile statements and political rhetoric. Nearly four years after the U.S.-led occupation, Baghdad is a tumultuous city. Government and U.S. forces have failed to develop a civilized system of government.
In their policing of Baghdad, the Iraqi and American troops rely heavily on military operations and raids, which they conduct day and night. And despite the overwhelming evidence that these techniques are a failure, both sides are apparently adamant to proceed with them.
That is why instead of turning Baghdad into a success story to lead the rest of the country, the city has become one of the most violent places on earth.
We believe that the kind of large-scale forced evacuations now taking place in Baghdad would be impossible without government support, especially amid the presence of tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines. We simply cannot accept the claims of the authorities that government forces are inadequate to get Baghdad under control and put an end to the current carnage.
Many Iraqis now believe both the government and the occupiers have a hidden agenda, and they say that conditions on the ground are the best proof.
Those serious about wanting a new, civil and democratic Iraq must first set their eyes on securing Baghdad and turning it into an example of social justice.
But instead, those in charge have divided Baghdad into "terrorist" quarters and "loyal" districts, and under policies that are official and semi-official, a murderous and bloody liquidation is now being implemented. The result has been a massive displacement of people in Baghdad, to such an extent that certain neighborhoods have been completely emptied of their original inhabitants.
These policies are doomed to failure. Even the most tyrannical of the world's regimes long ago found them futile.
It's Baghdad, stupid. So long as peace fails to reign in Baghdad, the rest of Iraq will not have it either. Baghdad is and has always been Iraq's mirror of failure or success.
In their policing of Baghdad, the Iraqi and American troops rely heavily on military operations and raids, which they conduct day and night. And despite the overwhelming evidence that these techniques are a failure, both sides are apparently adamant to proceed with them.
That is why instead of turning Baghdad into a success story to lead the rest of the country, the city has become one of the most violent places on earth.
We believe that the kind of large-scale forced evacuations now taking place in Baghdad would be impossible without government support, especially amid the presence of tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines. We simply cannot accept the claims of the authorities that government forces are inadequate to get Baghdad under control and put an end to the current carnage.
Many Iraqis now believe both the government and the occupiers have a hidden agenda, and they say that conditions on the ground are the best proof.
Those serious about wanting a new, civil and democratic Iraq must first set their eyes on securing Baghdad and turning it into an example of social justice.
But instead, those in charge have divided Baghdad into "terrorist" quarters and "loyal" districts, and under policies that are official and semi-official, a murderous and bloody liquidation is now being implemented. The result has been a massive displacement of people in Baghdad, to such an extent that certain neighborhoods have been completely emptied of their original inhabitants.
These policies are doomed to failure. Even the most tyrannical of the world's regimes long ago found them futile.
It's Baghdad, stupid. So long as peace fails to reign in Baghdad, the rest of Iraq will not have it either. Baghdad is and has always been Iraq's mirror of failure or success.