The most frequently asked question in Iraq: "What the freak is going on over here?"

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By Jane Stillwater (about the author) Page 3 of 3 page(s)

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Look at it this way. The people of the Middle East like to bargain. It's an integral part of their culture. In most markets and shops, if you simply go in and pay the price that they ask or just walk away, it is almost like an insult to them. Bargaining is part of their life. And western politicians need to understand this and drop their currently unsuccessful "My way or the highway" approach to Middle Eastern affairs if they ever want to be at peace with this region. Bargaining is much more effective here than Shock and Awe.

However, if the Bush-Cheney neo-cons are searching for more arenas to inflict their "Disaster Capitalism" on, then they ARE using the right approach in the Middle East. Their efforts are bringing results. Under the constant barrage of their continued threats, refusal to bargain, mismanagement and military antagonism, the entire Middle East is rapidly falling apart -- and a pre-emptive attack on Iran will be just the thing needed to create TOTAL disaster in the Middle East (mission accomplished!) But if peace and security are the end goals that we want to achieve, then Americans need to learn how to bargain too. And if they learn to do this, then perhaps there may be some hope.

FAQ: "Have we pretty much covered the topic here now concerning what the freak is going on in Iraq?" Hell no. We've barely even scratched the tip of the iceberg.

FAQ: "By the way, how long does it take a country to recover from the effects of Disaster Capitalism?"

Good question. And pertinent too. In Chile, it took approximately 30 years from the time Pinochet introduced his military dictatorship until when he was first charged by a court of law with 94 counts of torture -- but even today, Chile's middle class, which had grown and thrived under Allende's pre-coup new deal, is still marginal and 45 percent of its citizens are now living in poverty. And nobody is quite sure how long it will take for Iraq to recover or for Bush and Cheney to be charged for their crimes. Hopefully it will only take less time than it took Chile -- perhaps ten or 15 years max due to Iraq's access to oil profits. Frankly, however, Iraq isn't the country that I am most worried about right now.

Right now, I just want to know how long it is going to take AMERICA to recover from Bush, Cheney and Friedman's implementation of "The Shock Doctrine".

****

PS: Here's what I have to say about eating at the DFAC over here:
Eating Well in Iraq, posted (with photos) at Umami Mart, a fabulous food blog:

When I went to Iraq as an investigative reporter last month, I sort of surprised myself by discovering that the first thing that I investigated was the food. U.S. soldiers weren't re-enlisting at a fast enough rate at the beginning of this gruesome "war" and when they took a survey of soldiers who didn't want to re-up, the military discovered that it was because of the lousy food.

So now that is all changed. Even the MREs -- Meals Ready to Eat -- are practically gourmet. They come in 22 different varieties, including beef enchiladas, jambalaya, chicken tetrazzini, pot roast, vegetarian mushroom omelets, roast beef with gravy and BBQ pork.

And while I was in Iraq, I just couldn't keep away from the DFAC -- the dining facility. It was like the buffet table on a cruise ship. I swear! Plus they also had a pizza bar, a pasta bar, a potato bar, a salad bar and, most important of all, a dessert bar to die for.

I'm going back to Iraq in June -- ostensibly to continue my "I Love Lucy" kind of journalistic reporting on the bloodbath that used to be Baghdad. But secretly, just between you and me, I suspect that I'm really going back for the food!

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Stillwater is a freelance writer who hates injustice and corruption in any form but especially injustice and corruption paid for by American taxpayers. She has recently published a book entitled, "Bring Your Own Flak Jacket: Helpful Tips For Touring (more...)

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