I’m shocked, shocked to see this in the BBC of all places: average Iraqis speak out two years after the fall of Saddam, and they’re all so overwhelmingly positive.
Let me describe our situation before the fall of the previous regime. We were like a sick, weak prisoner under the thumb of a cruel jailer… Then the moment of salvation came. Perhaps I shouldn’t use the phrase “moment of salvation”, for to do so implies we were expecting such a moment when in truth we were feeling hopeless. Call it what you will, it happened and it was a magnificent thing. Iraqis are feeling better. They are breathing the air of freedom. They read, watch and say what they want. They travel, work and receive a living wage. They use mobile phones, satellite dishes and the internet, which they did not even know before. The negative side, which is transient, is that some here are trying to force others to accept their way and even using force to achieve that. As for terrorism, we are now beginning to unite against it and to defeat it. I say to you: Wait two or three years and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Just about everyone they survey voices similar sentiments: things are getting better. The worst criticism are calls for more security. I was surprised. That’s 1.) better than even I expected, and 2.) above and beyond what I would ever expect from the BBC.
In similar news, Alawi’s party joins the government and Zarqawi vows to fight to the death.
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