Looking at Iraq without the Media Filter: Iraqi & Soldier Blogs

[RandomUser]

The situation in Iraq is not all sunny and happy dancing Iraqis as some from Fox News might convey. But it's also not all bleak and terrible and nothing good every happens and everyone hates us, like some on the ultra left fringe want to believe either. In truth, it's a gray mess, with really good things and really bad things. The balance is hard to judge.

Do people in Iraq hate us? Yes. Do people in Iraq love us? Yes. Fox News will downplay the former. And some on DU here seem to deny the latter.

I wish to share here the method I use to avoid the media filter (both far right and far left) and try to get at the truth. During the war and it's aftermath, I've used blogs of people in Iraq for my most dependable source of information. Blogs of soldiers there, and blogs of Iraqi civilians who lived through the war.

Be warned, you may not like what you read, but it will be the truth, or at least part of it. The truth without the media filter. These are blogs of soldiers who support Bush, and soldiers who hate Bush. And these are blogs of Iraqi's who hate the occupation, and Iraqi's who love the occupation. I believe in seeing all sides.


IRAQIS LIVING IN IRAQ

*Salam Pax -- the very first Iraqi to blog online from Iraq, starting from before the war. He's a twenty something atheist homosexual, who lives in Baghdad and whose father currently works for the Coalition. His uncle is a high ranking member of the Iraqi banking system. He was partly raised in Europe, during the period his father's engineering company sent them out of Iraq. He was hired as a local interpreter by reporters and soldiers in Baghdad. After the war, the Guardian racked the blogger down and offered him a job as a columnist. His accounts of fearing he would be bombed by American planes or discovered and killed by Saddam for his illicit blogging are interesting. Neutral to slightly supportive of the American occupation, but critical of their stumbles and the hates the Iraqi governing council. Although his father works for the Coalition, they were raided by the Americans anyway.
http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/

*Riverbend -- Salam's friend. She worked as a computer expert. She lost her job as a result of the fundamentalist revival against women following the war. She's a moderate Shiite who is even part of a clan. She hates the Americans and their occupation, and the religious fundamentalists.
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Gaith -- also Salam's friend. He's an Iraqi Christian. He loves the Americans, and is very supportive of the occupation, although his enthusiasm has slowed of late, especially after some run ins he's had with American soldiers. He was arrested and manhandled by American soldiers, but says on balance, he still supports the war and occupation. He takes lots of digital pictures, some posted on other sites. I believe he's mothballing his blog now.
http://geeinbaghdad.blogspot.com/

*Healing Iraq -- a dentist working in baghdad. Born of Sunni Arab parents. Extremely strong supporter of the American occupation, and wants the Americans to get tougher. He believes they're being too soft because they don't understand their culture. Wants to have the death penalty back. Hopes the Americans don't leave because he doesn't trust the Governing Council.
http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/


SOLDIERS SERVING/SERVED IN IRAQ RECENTLY

*Chief Wiggles -- A military intelligence officer, strategic debriefer, interrogation specialist. During the war, he spent three months in a desert POW camp, working with the Iraqi generals who surrendered. Recently reassigned to Baghdad to head up the strategic debriefer's group, gathering intelligence for raids and strikes. Currently investigating corruption in the one of the ministries as well. Devout Christian. Organized a petition to free the Iraqi friendly generals who surrendered early and were held by the US. Organized a toy drive for Iraqi children in order to help the children and boost troop morale. Interesting accounts of what's happening in the high ranking circles in Baghdad intelligence, and excellent accounts of his desert POW prison camp days. Makes me respect American interrogation techniques, much better and nicer than the Brits and others. Supports the occupation, and gives a ground eye view of the actual progress being made. Prays that America doesn't leave Iraq and leave the job half-done. The accounts of his private friendships with Iraqi's are touching.
http://chiefwiggles.blog-city.com/

Baghdaddy -- a Utah soldier recently assigned to work with Chief Wiggles. Fairly recent blogs. Supports the war and Bush as well.
http://whosyourbaghdaddy.blog-city.com/

Turningtables -- American soldier, ending his current term in Iraq. Recently returned to America, about to be freed from the military. Vocal critic of the Bush administration and the war. Hates Bush.
http://turningtables.blogspot.com/

Lieutenant Smash (now Citizen Smash) -- American soldier, returned from Iraq some months ago, and freed from the military. His past blogs from Iraq are well written.
http://www.lt-smash.us/


These are the ones I think are worth mentioning and will give you a sampling of diverse viewpoints that don't agree with each other. But if you piece them together, you'll see the full picture. The ones with an asterisk next to them are my favorites, and must reads.

Other blogs, also worth looking at, but that I don't read regularly or really read at all, (caution, they might be irregularly updated/discontinued/no longer stationed in Iraq), and won't bother to make a description for:

Iraqis living in Iraq
http://ishtartalking.blogspot.com/
http://www.realwomenonline.com/article.php?story=20030627054459786


Soldiers in Iraq
http://www.chromedomezone.com/
http://www.pontifexexmachina.com/
http://www.soldiersparadise.blogspot.com/
http://bootsonground.blogspot.com/
http://bear.typepad.com/magic_in_the_baghdad_cafe/
http://lettersfrombaghdad.blogspot.com/

There plenty of other blogs out there, but I'll leave them for you to find.

Basically, the point I'm trying to get across is that things are going well in Iraq. And we're screwing up big time in Iraq as well. People in Iraq hate us. And people in Iraq love us.

Fox News is wrong in saying everything is smooth. But DU is wrong in saying everything is a catastrophe as well. It's a gray mess.

[La_Serpiente]

1. wow, thank you so much

I just posted a blog up.

Note on the Riverblog "Baghdad is Burning"

This is the blog:

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

There is a copycat sight out there. This is it.

http://riversbendblog.blogspot.com/

That's the one. This is an alternate site that is false.

Fortuneatly, there is another website that tracks information on the copycat site.

here:

http://suzerainty.blogspot.com/

Apparently, this guy is trying to discredit everything the woman is saying. Fortunately, she has some fellow hackers on his ass. This blog divulges all information about the false site.

[RandomUser]

2. Yes, I was aware of that

That's why I didn't add the copycat site, since that person is neither an Iraqi civilian, nor a soldier serving in Iraq. Thanks for pointing it out to others though.

I guess I created this thread because even though I thought the war was wrong, and want the troops out ASAP, I was appalled by the ones on DU who said to leave immediately and let the Iraqi's rot. They even said that they didn't care about the Iraqis. That's irresponsible and wrong.

My conjecture was that people had listened so much to the horror stories and diasters coming out of Iraq that they didn't see the whole picture. They were numbed and brainwashed by the (understandably, and probably justifiably) leftwing paranoia that everything is a castastrophe in Iraq. Being the leftwing verison of Fox is no better than Fox. One should always strive for the full picture.

[La_Serpiente]

3. Actually, I am with you on this one

I don't believe we should pull out. I honestly don't feel the horror stories are as bad as Vietnam.

However, I take solace in knowing that there is a site that watches the copycat site AND they know guys name and everything. He's basically this old, 70 year old disgruntled Republican (that's what I've heard)

[RandomUser]

5. I agree

It's not as bad as Vietnam yet. But it might eventually reach that point, for entirely different reasons and down different paths. The "guerilla" movement in Iraq is very different from the guerilla movement in Vietnam. After each attack on civilians or international aid agencies, the Iraqis are more firmly against the guerillas. Without popular support, the guerilla movement's success will be limited. Conversely, each time coalition troops mess up and cause resentment, they're helping the guerillas.

Iraq is not Vietnam. But that doesn't mean it can't become a quaqmire.

[mmonk]

9. There's no question in my mind

that getting rid of Saddam is the best situation for Iraqis and I believe many have hungered for his removal. I just don't agree that the purpose should be a foothole from where we topple states in the region (that's not in our tradition). I knew there was both good and bad and I do think it best to make Iraq work for Iraqis. They aren't radical extremists like that which may exist elsewhere (though a minority may be).

[RandomUser]

10. Absolutely

I agree with this. We shouldn't use it as a foothold to topple other countries. The extremist are a minority in Iraq, but a vocal one that needs to be dealt with by the Iraqi people. I think the real understated element in Iraq right now is the IP (Iraqi Police). They've made a real turnaround. And the success or failure of Iraq will depend on the IP, not American forces, not Coalition forces, not NATO or UN or other muslim country forces.

[Kinkistyle]

4. Everyone needs to read the TurningTables Blog

http://turningtables.blogspot.com/

The guy is articulate, cynical and very insightful. He also has a great sense of humor and poetry. Some of his writing really hits you and makes you think. He's not one of the grunt footsoldiers so it could be argued that he has a case of elitism, but he's also been in Bosnia and Afghanistan, so he's seen some pretty wacky crap.

I am usually guilty of stereotyping our soldiers as mindless, religious hicks, but reading this blog smashes that prejudice to bits. These are the type of guys we need in the military. This is the type of guy who should end up a general. I wonder if Wesley Clark wasn't more or less like this Sergeant back in his younger days. Maybe if Blogs existed in those days he would have written a similar one.

The 06.29.2003 entry is particularly moving: http://turningtables.blogspot.com/2003_06_29_turningtables_archive.html

[RandomUser]

7. I think TurningTables will play well to DU'ers.

He's an anti-occupation and anti-Bush soldier. Riverbend and Salam Pax may play well with the DU crowd too.

But I think it's more important for DU'ers to read Healing Iraq and Chief Wiggles, because they're less likely to agree with these blogs. (Just as it would be more important for Fox viewers to read Riverbend and Turnging tables) The method to obtaining a well-rounded view is by examining all viewpoints, especially those you disagree with.

[izzie]

6. I have read riverbend and will try some of these.

:think:

[Jacobin]

8. Thanks for putting this together

Without news sources in this country it's important to try to decipher what is going on there.

Deserves a kick.

[RandomUser]

11. I like how they complement each other

Really gives you the full range of the situation. And they're not spun through a political wringer like Fox or counterpunch.

For instance, take the Red Cross and the competing views.

Chief Wiggles complained that they were incompetent and politically biased. About how the humanitarian groups decried the U.S. putting prisoners in "inhumane" torture of over 100 degrees environments. The truth of the matter was that they were in the middle of the friggin desert where the average temperature was 130 degrees. The troops lived in conditions of the exact same temperatures as the prisoners forced to suffer "inhumane" temperature torture. And about how the soldiers always saw to the prisoners before caring for themselves. To the point where they installed the showers for the prisoners when they had none themselves, and had to sheepishly enter the prisoner facilities for showers. It was clear the Red Cross reporting of conditions were very much biased against the troops and trying to drum up outrage for the prisoners.

On the other hand, from Riverbend, we can see that she sees the Red Cross as essential and one of the keystones of Iraq. The Red Cross was the lifeline that Iraqis went to as an interlocutor with the Coalition whenever someone went missing. It was the only way they had of finding people arrested by the Coalition. They used the Red Cross as the barometer of how good conditions are in Iraq. Decreasing Red Cross staff acted as a canary in a coal mine indicating deteriorating security.

[RandomUser]

12. Kick for the afternoon folks

And because I was really pissed at the people saying they wanted to let the Iraqis go to hell.

[Eloriel]

13. Thi is fabulous

Thanks!

Eloriel

[RandomUser]

14. No problem

I always try to see an issue from all sides, even those I don't agree with. It's how I settled on Clark.

Eloriel, I do believe this is the first time you and I have ever been on the same side of an issue :)

[RandomUser]

15. Please read today's account from Healing Iraq

Powerful stuff from the dentist in Iraq.


First, I have to explain to some western idealists that public demonstrations is an alien idea to the majority of Iraqis. We have been forced to demonstrate in favour of Saddam, the Ba'ath, Palestine, and Arab nationalism for 3 decades. Just to give you an idea on how that was like for us; party members would surround colleges, schools, and govt. offices. They block all outlets and shove people into buses which head to wherever the demonstrations are to be held. You simply cannot refuse to demonstrate. I remember hiding in the toilet back in high school whenever the buses came into the park to herd us to the demos. It wasn't a pleasant experience I can tell you. Once I got stuck and had to shout anti-imperialist slogans at one of these rallies just two years ago. You don't have the slightest idea of what it is like to live your life daily in fear.

Now today, we are facing terrorist and violent threats against our nurseries, schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, oil pipelines, power stations, water purification systems, and other civilian facilities. If you think that a peaceful demonstration would deter those criminals from doing harm to us, then you are 100% wrong. Do you think the Syrians/Saudis/Iranians/Yemenis/Sudanese would simply say 'Oh look, the Iraqis don't want us there, lets go home and leave the Americans and Iraqis work it out'? Or if you think we should go out and face the dangers just to prove to you -paranoid Americans sitting in your ivory towers watching tv- that we do not support the terrorists, then you are wrong again.

You see a handful of teenagers dancing in front of the camera celebrating dead Americans, and you judge an entire people, you start whining about pulling the troops out of Iraq and giving the Iraqis what they deserve. Are you people really so close-minded? It is the fault of your news agencies that show you what they want, its certainly not ours. If you want us to go out and cry for your dead soldiers and wave American flags, then don't count on it either. We are losing way too many innocent Iraqis daily to be grieving over dead soldiers who have actually made a decision to come here. What about the thousands of dead Iraqis who were not as lucky to have a choice? Did you cry for them?

-----

Let me be honest. Look at what 9/11 did to you. It shocked you, and you can't get over it to this day. Well let me invite you to Iraq where 9/11 is an everyday reality. How would you live your life? Stop comparing your 'perfect' society with mine. It isn't the same. People don't think the same. We don't put flags and stickers on our cars to show how patriotic we are. We don't go out in a 'dentists against terrorism' demonstration. We still don't have your free-speech and other social niceties yet.