[Dean's World] Dave Price: Truth and Consequences

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Posted by Dave Price:
Truth and Consequences
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1190127969.shtml


   Michael Totten's [1]latest dispatch from Anbar is a must-read:

     The Iraqis of Anbar Province turned against Al Qaeda and sided with
     the Americans in large part because Al Qaeda proved to be far more
     vicious than advertised. But itâs also because sustained contact
     with the American military â even in an explosively violent combat
     zone âconvinced these Iraqis that Americans are very different
     people from what they had been led to believe. They finally figured
     out that the Americans truly want to help and are not there to
     oppress them or steal from them. And the Americans slowly learned
     how Iraqi culture works and how to blend in rather than barge in.

   Again, we're seeing the evolution of a free-information society in
   Iraq. Prior to the fall of the regime, Iraqis were fed a strict diet
   of anti-American propaganda, and without free press, Internet access,
   and cell phones they had very little outside context with which to
   discern the truth; thus when we arrived, they were prepared to believe
   the worst. Now there are hundreds of independent radio stations, TV
   stations, newspapers, even bloggers. Internet access, while not
   common, is far more available, and there are ten times as many cell
   phones in Iraq as in 2003. Iraq has undergone a true information
   revolution, and as Iraqis adapt to their recently liberalized reality
   they are finding some old beliefs are washed away in the flood of new
   data.

     âWe hand out care packages from the U.S. to Iraqis now that the
     area has been cleared of terrorists,â one Marine told me. âWhen we
     tell them that some of these packages arenât from the military or
     the government, that they were donated by average American citizens
     in places like Kansas, people choke up and sometimes even cry. They
     just canât comprehend it. It is so different from the lies they
     were told about us and how weâre supposed to be evil.â
     ...
     âWeâre learning to use local conflict resolution strategies,â said
     Colonel John Charlton. âLiving with Iraqis every day helps us
     understand local culture. Weâve actually become attached to these
     people on a personal level. We feel responsible for their safety.
     Weâre concerned about what will happen to our Iraqi friends if we
     donât succeed in this country

   Read the whole thing. All the smiling children are an incredible
   contrast to last year's scenes of deserted, devastated streets,
   seemingly populated only by hooded thugs with RPGs and AKs.
   Abandoning these people to Al Qeada is unthinkable -- yet that is what
   many here in America are arguing for. Hopefully, once we get past the
   Presidential primaries, Democrats can start talking responsibly about
   Iraq, because in a little over a year Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
   and company are likely to hold these people's lives in their hands.

References

   1. http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001517.html