This past Sunday Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president visited Iraq. He arrived early in the morning at Baghdad International Airport not far from Camp Victory. The day before his arrival a friend of Mohamed offered a bet that Sunnis would attack because of Amehdinejad’s visit. That made me a bit nervous but if Mohamed had taken the bet he would have won. Thankfully things were quiet that day.
I found it interesting that what isn’t mentioned much in the news and seems to be slowly coming out here is not only are the Iranians supporting violence here in Iraq but so are the Saudis. I don’t claim to be a politician. I’m no expert on the Middle East but I listen to people. President Bush is telling Ahmadinejad to stop supporting fighters in Iraq but it may or may not be the Iranian government’s fault of responsibility. The same is true of the Saudis. Again, there is no official mention of any Saudi influence but who is supporting Iraqi Sunnis in their attacks? Syria? If you doubt Saudi Arabia’s involvement ask yourself how the Saudis would benefit from an instable Iraq? The omission of Saudi Arabia’s role in the security of Iraq isn’t surprising when you think about the type of relationship the US, and the Bush family has with “The Kingdom.” From what I gather, if the Saudis are equally involved with the sectarian violence here they need to get called out on it.
The people supporting the violence in Iraq may not be directly connected to the Saudi and Iranian governments, but can be influenced by these governments. Therein lies the misrepresentation in President Bush’s rhetoric following Ahmadinejad’s visit. Ahmadinejad is not himself giving orders to create instability in Iraq, he has influence, and Bush should address Ahmadinejad to the American people as he addresses Mahmoud Abbas regarding Hamas. It appears President Bush would like Americans to perceive Ahmedinejad as most powerful and the Palestinian Authority powerless, both beneficial prescriptions towards the seeming Bush White House agenda. But I’m not discrediting any criticism of Ahmadinejad either because in my opinion you have to be a complete fucking idiot to even attempt to question the validity of the Holocaust with a straight face.
Iraq is truly at the center of the Middle East, a predominately Shi’a country surrounded by six other countries: 5 Sunni and one Shi’a, Iran. Iraq has 2,268 miles of boarder to guard. The US-Mexican boarder is only 1,952 miles long. The success of the US invasion created a power vacuum and everyone inside and outside Iraq who can is trying to step in. I can’t imagine the US uninterested in maintaining a powerful influence here not because it’s power for the sake of power. There’s a lot of money “under the table” here hence the reasons why the US military is paying big bonuses for Arab and Chinese speaking linguists. Where you get it and who's your competition.
One of my coworkers is Sunni and worked in the Green Zone for three years as a Shi’a. You can’t tell the difference any better than you can tell the difference between a Catholic and a Protestant. Mohamed claims that in the thirty years before 2003 there was never any Shi’a versus Sunni sectarianism. Who knows why or how it started but some will describe what the US is doing in Iraq now is policing a civil war. Not that civil war could happen, it is happening. I’m not sure if I would agree with the civil war part. People have asked me several times what I think will happen in Iraq. How will this situation be resolved? What do you think is the solution? Those people usually have their own clear ideas and perhaps find joy arguing my thoughts and suggestions into the ranks of impossibilities. Maybe I’m speaking from an American position of political patience but Iraq is getting desperate. I'm not sure if the strain on US military families, despite all their sacrifices amounts to what Iraqi citizens are enduring. Whatever will be the solution Iraq won’t survive if Iraqis, Americans, and the international community, continue to segregate Iraqis between Sunni and Shia.
Sometimes war games are conducted as real wars or real foreign policy. The collapse of Yugoslavia is what many people fear will happen here and the American support of Kosovo's recent secession may be be a clue of things to come. Whatever happens the fact remains that Iraq has changed and will never be what it once was. The damage here is too deep.
