Perspective And Opinion On Iraqi Insurgency
Despite common sense and a mountain of evidence. Both the media and the people in many parts of the world still paint an ideological crises at the heart of the Iraq War. I’m not going to assess the worth of the invasion, only what I consider to be a flawed sociological perspective that many people seem to have regarding the nature of the violence.
Them and us. An analogy to bridge the divide.
Should a foreign power invade the U.S today. On the grounds that it is a dangerous state. One could argue that the U.S has been the most violent state in the last 50 years, waging war after war. It is the only country to have used a nuclear weapon on another country and threatens to use them again on a smaller scale in Iran. In some measure, the U.S has been at the heart of many conflicts around the world.
Let us assume that another country invades the U.S successfully (this isn’t a question about wrong or right, so bear with me). There would be resentment, fear and anger. There would be militias, much like when the U.S fought the British for independence. You’d have kids on roof-tops throwing rocks at passing armored vehicles and I.E.D’s lining the road-side. In short, you’d have violence. The reaction would be very similar to those by Iraqis today.
The ruling Hegemon would label you a terrorist for fighting back. Your parents and friends hauled to Alaska’s Fairbanks detention camp. The new Media would call you an insurgent.
This isn’t science fiction. When two Blackwater mercs were killed in Iraq, people noticed that the people that killed them were not Insurgents. They were civilians. It is a self-evident fact that most of the “terrorists” are simply people who fight for their land or cause. So a new word is coined to hide the truth. Rather than call them civilians, they are called dissidents. While the word simply means someone who “disagrees”, we have the impression that it is a terrorist.
Granted, there are many in Iraq who welcomed the invasion. Saddam was what he was. But everyone — including Bush — agrees that the situation was not that which was expected. Had the regime been toppled via a “shock and awe” campaign. Had the U.S retreated. They would no doubt be hailed as liberators and not the occupiers the majority of the world now sees them as. I say this because the situation in Iraq is not better than it was under Saddam.
In my opinion, the Iraqis now view the U.S, much like the U.S once viewed the British. They may be right, they may be wrong. But if one took the time to try to perceive instead of judging, the way forward would become clearer.
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