Wilson served as an intelligence officer in Vietnam from August 1965 to August 1966.
“What I would say is that I can’t explain fully, but there are very few Vietnamese that have malice against the U.S. at this point,” Wilson said. “So, enemies are never forever, and there’s no reason Iraq cannot be restored.”
Iraqi Delegation: Abolishing Iraqi Military and Police After Saddam's Fall Was Huge Mistake
The Iraqis continue to cling to local councils because they still haven't fully adjusted from the totalitarian rule of Saddam Hussein, said Kadhim al-Mansoori, regional district advisory council chairman for the Baghdad provincial council.
"It was easy for the United States to get into Iraq, but it is not as easy to get out," said Sabeeh al-Kaabi, chairman of Baghdad's Rasheed district advisory council. “It’s a moral responsibility of the American army to only withdraw when they have restored some form of government, peace and security on our land,” he added.
What Iraqis have benefited most from is the end of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, al-Kaabi said. “The best thing that the Americans have done is to remove the lifelong nightmare we were living in.”
But in the immediate aftermath of Saddam's fall from power on April 9, 2003, the United States dissolved the military and police force, which acted as a catalyst for destruction, Mansoori said.
“We have the responsibility to tell you this,” al-Mansoori told the class. “All our stores were looted. The American forces were just watching. Banks were robbed; they went to the electrical plant and dismantled and looted, and the American troops just watched. The only thing that was protected was the Ministry of Oil.”
And then there are the power cuts. The aerial bombing destroyed much of Iraq's electrical grid, al-Mansoori said. "There isn’t a full hour of electricity for the Iraqi government even today."
But following President Bush's controversial troop surge, in which an additional 30,000 American troops were sent to Iraq to boost security, "stores and businesses started to reopen and security improved," al-Mansoori said. "Hopefully this will continue."
Five Years Later, What's Next for Iraq?
As for the qustion of what the future holds for the U.S. presence in Iraq, opinions were mixed.
"There is a difference in Iraq now from five years ago," Al-Kaabi said. “Would one prefer to be free and hungry, or caged and full? This is the problem.”
"The war is a tragedy," said Laurie Gagne, director of Saint Michael's peace and justice center operated by the Society of Saint Edmund, the order of Catholic priests who founded the college in 1904. "The United States needs to replace its military presence with a humanitarian presence to help Iraq rebuild," she said.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
