Some really good news from Iraq. Note that the news doesn't come from the American mainstream media. No. To get the truth about Iraq you have to ask the Iraqis. And...the Germans? From an Iraqi ex-pat writing for the the Wall Street Journal:
From deeply connected politicians to ordinary Iraqis, each has something to add. An interesting portrait of Iraq becomes full around midnight, an Iraq that is way more human than that shown on the Arab satellite channels (that of car bombs and sectarian conflicts). These Iraqis are not seeking an increase in viewership or a couple more pennies from ads before a newscast.From Der Spiegel:
"I am from Fallujah" says one man – an art agent – with a cigar ever between his fingers. "We should make the most benefit from the Americans while we can. It is a moment of history. We either get a state now, or we will always be like this."
I cannot keep my pleasure to myself. I saw my Iraq – one that I have only seen in poetry – in the near future: an oasis of peace and prosperity amidst the scorching desert, a home for its children and a sanctuary for its guests.
Women have something to add to this. A former colleague of mine at the University of Baghdad, who now lives with her family in Abu Dhabi, told me that she was stunned by the optimism of her fellow Iraqis when she went to support the Iraqi soccer team in a World Cup qualifier match against Australia in Dubai. "They were of every color in the Iraqi rainbow, but you can speak of two common things among them: telling you about their plans to go home within months and considering the Americans to be partners in that home they are returning to."
Another Chaldean Christian female friend of mine is now living in Jordan with her family after being forced to leave their house in Al-Ameriyya, Baghdad, by al Qaeda militants. She told me "it seems that the Americans know what they are doing. They have been so patient with us, but it seems that we have learned our lesson now."
Even those who were heralding the victory of "the resistance" are now lowering their voices before the simple but compelling logic of young men and women that have never been a part of any political process. I asked the gang at Le Grillion what they thought about the proposed long-term treaty with the Americans. The answer came immediately: "We have nothing to give the Americans; we are the ones who should be thankful!"
Everyone nodded to the remark, except a couple of Egyptian communists sitting nearby. They dared not object, however.
There is an unexpected air of normalcy prevailing in Baghdad these days, with consumption flourishing and confidence in the government growing.Yo. Murtha! Obama! Sup now my nizzles?
Pork is available in Baghdad once again. Not just in the Green Zone, where US diplomats can enjoy their spare ribs and Parma ham, but also across the Tigris River, in the real Baghdad, at "Al-Warda" on Karada Street. Bassim Dencha, 32, one of the few Christians remaining in Iraq and the co-owner of Baghdad's finest supermarket, has developed a supply line from Syria. As a result, he now has frozen pork chops and bratwurst arranged in his freezers, next to boxes of frozen French fries and German Black Forest Cakes. And the customers are buying.
The streets of the nation's capital are slowly becoming safer. For four years, selling pork or alcohol in Baghdad was a security risk. But the acts of terror committed by Islamist fundamentalists, who once punished such violations of their interpretation of the Koran with attacks on businesses and their owners, have gradually subsided. The supply of imported goods is also relatively secure today, now that roads through the Sunni Triangle are significantly safer than they were only a few months ago.
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