How Does Debate in the US Affect the Iraq War? What an Iraqi Thinks

What an Iraqi thinks

You are a young man in Iraq. Life has been hard. There is war in your country. There are foreign soldiers, mainly American, in your country. People are dying every day. You live in fear; fear for yourself, your family, and your friends. You are happy to see the American soldiers who removed the hated and feared Saddam from power. Now that Saddam is gone, a new Iraqi government is forming. There will be free elections and you will now have a say in the future of your country. You have learned from years under a tyrant's rule that hope can be a dangerous thing but you begin to feel a little better about your future. Not all Iraqis feel as you do. Many don't like the idea of foreign soldiers in their land. Many just see the weakness in the newly formed government and wish to exploit it for their own gain.

What an Iraqi sees on the News

The Americans have only come to steal the oil from your country. They are not in Iraq to help you at all! You have lived under a dictatorship all of your life. You don't understand politics. You only know that you have seen many important men and many famous people say the US President is an evil man. He even lied to his own people so he could invade your country. You get angry. You hate the Americans now and you want them out of your country. You believe the elections and the new government in Iraq is all a big lie. You want to do something but the Americans are so strong there is nothing you can do. You hope that after the Americans win and your new government is in place, they will go home as their president has promised. Today the fighting continues and you begin to notice more stories in the news. So many Americans have been killed in your country that the people in America want their soldiers to come home. The insurgents are actually beating them. They only need to fight a little longer, kill more American soldiers and the Americans will give up and go home.

What an Iraqi should see on the News