[Dean's World] Dave Price: Freedom Rising In Iraq

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Posted by Dave Price:
Freedom Rising In Iraq
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1199138504.shtml


   Democracy, whisky, sexy, [1]party!

     "The security has changed and it took us by surprise. We're very
     happy. Especially us young people," said al-Azzawi, a 22-year-old
     student taking a break from dancing to a traditional Iraqi band in
     the ballroom of the Palestine Hotel.
     "I haven't seen a happy place like this in so long. I wanted to see
     if I could maybe meet a few girls!" he said. "I only hope the Iraqi
     people can enjoy more happy times like this."
     Salah al-Lami, 27, the singer who performed at the Palestine
     ballroom and then for another New Year's Eve crowd at the Sheraton
     Hotel across the street, said it was the first time he had sung
     before a live audience in four years.

   And in an older story, a telling quote as [2]the BBC tours Ameriyah,
   courtesy of [3]our old friend Abul Abed

     Their leader, Abul Abed, meets the Americans every day.
     On the wall is a picture of him with General David Petraeus, the
     top US commander in Iraq.
     "At the beginning, people saw it as an occupation which had to be
     resisted. But then they saw that the Americans were working in the
     interests of the people."

   This new attitude is at the heart of the sahwa "awakening" movement,
   and probably has a lot to do with the vastly greater freedom of
   information transfer that has developed in Iraq since 2003. There are
   thousands of independent (if partisan) Iraqi media, and there are one
   hundred times as many cell phones as there were under Saddam. While
   thugs of various stripe still lurk around every corner, threatening
   journalists and civilians alike, they no longer have the iron grip
   over communications they had under Saddam. This new ability to
   communicate with each other has helped Iraqis to overcome the false
   propaganda of extremists and establish a more accurate consensus
   reality around which moderate positions can be built, and as these
   moderate movements grow in strength and credibility, they are
   beginning to enable Iraqis to live something resembling a decent, free
   life.

References

   1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071231/ts_nm/iraq_newyear_dc_2;_ylt=AkaxHKWdk7g2nJkOIShI6PVX6GMA
   2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7116717.stm
   3. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1195860876.shtml