The Rag Blog: An Iraqi Blogger Speaks Out

10 December 2006

An Iraqi Blogger Speaks Out

The illusion

Mind you, these are the qualities of most Iraqis, I brought them with me, and somehow they are built-in I cannot change them even if I want to. I still fix the photocopier at work instead of waiting for the engineer to come over, a skill I learned back home.

In the streets of Baghdad the first thing you notice is the old Japanese cars which are still running in Iraq today after more than 30 years of their make. My people invented parts and created methods to keep them going under the sanctions. And do they admit it? No. They still think the credit goes to the Japanese. They opened shops to sew torn tires with wires and put them back on the road. The same goes for air-conditioning and air-coolers motors and so on. Because of the hard life and the insecurity we went through all our lives we became harder than life itself.

[snip]

We’ve been very clever in identifying our enemies inside and outside the country, but how to deal with them is the question.

Should we listen to the first World diagnosis? Fight fiercely with each other? Hate and despise whoever was the cause from our neighbours?

The first World has admitted defeat and the ball is in our court to rectify the mess.

At this stage nothing but diplomacy will turn our enemies to allies.

Read it all here.

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