Scarce Jobs, Unsafe Streets Tarnish Gains in Freedom
President Bush rallies returned troops as Iraqis reflect on the mixed blessings GIs brought
BORZOU DARAGAHI / SF Chronicle 19mar04
 Depleted Uranium (DU) munitions were first used by the US in Gulf War I to penetrate thick armor plating of Iraqi tanks, making it the first nuclear war. |
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Baghdad—Haydar Kamel had a free afternoon but couldn't decide whether to catch a racy flick like "Showgirls'' or "The Story of O'' at one of the movie theaters on Al-Sadoun Street, peruse one of several hundred newspapers or watch satellite television, options he never had under Saddam Hussein.
He finally opted to surf the Web at a new Internet cafe on Arasat Street—and launched into a tirade against the U.S.-led war and occupation of his country.
"So, OK, we have freedom," said the 26-year-old underemployed carpenter. "But where are the jobs? Where is the security? What kind of freedom is it when you can't go out on the streets at night?"
A year after the U.S. invasion, the euphoria that greeted the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has long since faded. Even those most enthusiastic about the U.S.-led war have discovered that freedom can be a two-edged sword.
Some Iraqis say their lives haven't changed at all, though when pressed, they concede it's nice to be able to discuss politics without fear of being turned in to the secret police.
"At the time of Saddam, I had to be careful what I said in front of my friends," Abdul Wahab Abdullah, a retired agricultural engineer, said after arguing for 15 minutes that little had changed in Iraq since Hussein's Baath Party was overthrown. "Now, we can criticize the government, even the American occupation, without fear of being jailed and tortured."
In some ways, Iraqis are like tropical fish long confined in an aquarium that are suddenly dumped into a free-running river filled with predators. In place of the hermetic certainties of a police state, the contemporary world's troubles—crime, terrorism, drug abuse, ethnic conflict—have come rushing into their lives, all at once.
"Things were bad under Saddam, but at least he protected Iraqis from terrorism and criminal gangs,'' said Ali Habib, a retired lawyer playing backgammon with friends at al-Zawar, a 19th century cafe in the old section of town. "What good is having freedom if you don't dare go out at night for fear of being robbed or beaten?'' At Baghdad's Amusement City, a leafy park with a rusty roller coaster and a decrepit tunnel of love, groups of young men and women gather on a clear, sunny day. Mostly college students, they tease each other, play soccer on a green field and, away from public scrutiny, steal the occasional kiss.
But they complain that the park, which used to be open late into the night, now closes at 2 p.m. because of security concerns. Each afternoon, they scamper home to their families and sit in front of the television. Channel 2, a Lebanese station that plays shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and movies like "Cannonball Run 3," has become especially popular.
"The Americans took away security and instead gave us 'Frasier,' " says Asa Qasem, 20, an engineering student.
The mood of Iraqis often depends on where they stand on Iraq's geographic, ethnic and economic maps. In the Kurdish north, which has been semi- autonomous since the 1991 Gulf War, Kurds relish the progress they have made over the past year.
The young roam the streets at night, frequenting the numerous bars and clubs.
"We're richer than we were before the war," says Ari Mohammad, who teaches English language and literature at the University of Sulaymaniyah. "There are higher salaries than before. Our civil society is growing."
But for many other Iraqis, the biggest concern is the economy. In the southern city of Nasiriya, young men mill aimlessly below a bridge that was the scene of the some of the most intense fighting in the war. Dozens of civilians died as they fled crossfire between coalition forces and Hussein loyalists into nearby fields.
Iraqis here—mainly Shiites who enthusiastically supported the invasion—had great expectations for the postwar era. Those hopes remain largely unfulfilled.
Hossein Kasem, an unemployed 22-year-old, said his life had not improved—except for the freedom to take part in self-flagellation ceremonies in commemoration of the great Shiite martyr Imam Hossein.
"We want jobs as well as the freedom to hit ourselves," says Kasem.
His pals break out in laughter, easing the mood as the sun sets and the young men head home.
But the danger remains that the discontent feeding today's grumblings could erupt at any time into violence.
Nearby, on the Euphrates River, fisherman Hossein Ali sits in a canoe and uses a rod called a silia to catch shaboot, gatan and buni—big river fish the people of this region have been eating for centuries.
"Catching fish requires patience," says Ali. "It's something Iraqis don't have."
Night falls, and Ali also grows impatient. As he holds his silia in the water, his assistant plunges the wires attached to a small, battery-operated charger into the river, jolting the fish to the surface for Ali to scoop up.
CHART (1): A year of casualties Deaths among allied forces in Iraq U.S. 568 Britain 58 Italy 17 Spain 8 Bulgaria 5 Ukraine 3 Thailand 2 Denmark 1 Estonia 1 Poland 1
CHART (2): How Iraqis feel about the war's aftermath Poll of 2,652 Iraqis commissioned by the BBC in association with other international broadcasters. Compared to a year ago (before the war) are things overall in your life: Much better now 21.9% Somewhat better 34.6% About the same 23.3% Somewhat worse 12.7% Much worse 5.9% Difficult to say 1.6% From today's perspective, was it right for the U.S.-led coalition to invade Iraq? Absolutely right 19.6% Somewhat right 28.6% Somewhat wrong 12.9% Absolutely wrong 26.2% Difficult to say 12.7% Source: Oxford Research International
source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/19/MNG6B5NRNR1.DTL&type=printable 20mar04
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