Posted By Ahmed Abdullah 

The U.S. initially claimed that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was aimed at “liberating” the Iraqis. More than four years later, the Iraqis lost their freedom and their security. 

As a matter of fact, Iraq’s situation is now worse than before. Civilians are deprived of their ability to live their normal life like running errands or going out. A BBC article interviewed some Iraqis to know their conditions nine months since President Bush announced the troop surge. 

Although the surge was launched to bring security to Iraq, the Iraqis do not feel any safer. 

“I haven't left my home in two months” said Kulsoom, a medical student from East Baghdad who is unable to get any training before the start of the next academic year because of the deteriorating security condition in Iraq. 

Kulsoom doesn’t deny that there has been some improvements in the security situation, but she says that overall, things are unstable in her country. “There are fewer attacks," she says. "Now it is only four or five killed a day in our area. It used to be 20 or 30. But we are still afraid. Nothing has really changed".

Even though the U.S. is claiming that it is doing its best to curb the violence, bombings, killings and kidnappings are reported on a daily basis. It’s true that now there are more concrete barriers and checkpoints, but most Iraqis believe that they have only dampened the violence but didn’t address its causes. 

In addition to the violence, the political power struggle is affecting a society that Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, acknowledged was still deeply "traumatised" by years under Saddam Hussein's rule. 

Although many Sunni groups allied themselves with the Americans in the western Anbar province to fight al-Qaeda, they are not necessarily close to the Shia-dominated Iraqi government. Many Sunni tribesmen openly say it is a government controlled by Iran. 

On the other hand, some officials in Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government are wary of the growing power of some of these Sunni groups. 

Although there was some progress in Anbar, where violence levels decreased due to the Sunnis’ fight against al-Qaeda there, the Americans’ efforts there was dealt a major blow with the assassination of Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Reesha earlier this month. 

Iraqis are also complaining about their politicians, who probably feel nothing of the citizens’ sufferings since they live in fully-equipped houses, while that’s not the case for Iraqis. "We only get two hours of electricity a day," says Kulsoom, "one in the morning, one in the evening." 

Moreover, Iraqi politicians have failed to reach an agreement over one of the key goals that could pave the way to national reconciliation; the oil legislation that should define how to share the country’s oil wealth and set laws for foreign investors. Oil revenue is Iraq’s only way out; however; it’s hard to attract foreign investment in a country that can’t even maintain its security.

According to the BBC, the only political progress in Iraq since the surge began is that the various boycotts of parliament have ended. But there is no sign that Iraq's politicians can now come together to reach the oil sharing law or constitutional reform. 

Even though the U.S. keeps promoting its plans for reviving Iraq, claiming that violence levels fell in the past period, Iraqis think it’s worse than ever. 

With no sign of progress, Iraqis are left with no choice but to leave their country - up to 20,000 a week head to Syria. 

Kulsoom, herself, have experienced the loss of around 60 to 70 classmates in addition to many professors who decided to explore their options elsewhere. "I am the optimistic one in my family," she says. "But I have to admit that nothing has changed."

Perhaps the only hopeful sign is that the majority of Iraqis remain committed to the idea of Iraq as a unified state - not one split between Shia, Sunnis, Kurds and other groups. But one must wonder if this is enough to curb the country’s raging violence!

©  EsinIslam.Com

Add Comments