I thought my next installment to this endeavor would be to discuss what it is that Iraq is doing in Iraq these days. Fortunately, other topics have moved to the fore and I can continue to keep that one “on the shelf” for future use.
First recent topic of interest is the Super Bowl. I write this on Super Bowl Sunday and in anticipation of a somewhat memorable event unfolding over the next 15 hours. For those of you reading this that plan on having or attending a Super Bowl party, keep in mind that about the time you are setting out the chips and dips, those of us who choose to watch here will be struggling to emerge from the deepest stages of sleep. Start time in Baghdad is 0230, so the prevailing strategy is to get 3-4 hours of sleep pre-game, stagger over to the dining facility to watch the game, then try to get 3-4 more hours of sleep post-game.
The powers that be in U.S. Forces – Iraq have deemed that Monday morning be free of scheduled activities, a hopeful attempt to prevent thousands of folks from sleeping on their keyboards through most of the day. This enables the post-game slumber. To help achieve that slumber, the Omnipotent are temporarily lifting the alcohol prohibition imposed by General Order #1. Every service member gets two beers during the game.
This is a welcome development, done for just the second time since my arrival here last April. However, it unfairly excludes a large part of our work force, that being the contractors and government civilians entwined throughout the organization. I briefly considered foregoing my beers in silent protest. Briefly, as in less time than it took to write this sentence. Sucks to be them. My apologies to those folks for my lack of sensitivity, but my experience is that misery will find me and I need not practice for it.
That’s it for sports. Now for world news.
The topic du jour, for jour after jour here over the last week, is the civil unrest in the Middle East exemplified by Tunisia and Egypt. I’m guessing it is at least mildly interesting for everyone back in the land of plenty; it is at least mildly disconcerting for most of us here in the land of wretched essential services. The Iraqis, inscrutable as ever, are tough to read on the topic of mass revolt.
There seems to be a segment of the population that believes Iraq holds the political high ground in the Mideast by virtue of their toppling of a despotic regime and institution of a democratic society. These folks believe others in the region want to be like them.
A variation of this view has a depressing caveat – they are embarrassed that it took an outside power, in this case the U.S., to unseat Saddam Hussein. Iraqis are deeply xenophobic and this interference does not sit well with most of them.
The more prevalent position is to use the Tunisia/Egypt events as a veiled threat to the new government of Iraq. Though there is huge potential for Iraqi economic prosperity from oil, gas, religious tourism, and other promising sectors, you can’t escape the physics that tell you potential can be a long way from kinetic. The current government is on the hook to get the ball rolling but it has to start by satisfying the basic needs of its own population.
So…democracy in Iraq is in the “show me” phase and everyone is very much aware of the possibility of Egypt’s trials becoming a blueprint for Iraq action. Unhappy folks all over Iraq have been protesting ever since the elections last March, mostly over lack of electricity. On one hand this is a good thing – the government allows citizens to assemble and recognizes their rights to criticize elected officials. On the other hand, you worry that demonstrations take on a life of their own and move beyond the intended goals of the organizers. Fixing Iraq infrastructure problems will take years, so the big question is: can it be done in a visible and measurable way that is acceptable to the population?
If not, my preference is to read about it in the papers rather than watch and listen to it outside the walls of this compound.
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