More Bad News from Iraq...

Johann Hari, a writer for the Independent in London, is close to many Iraqi exiles. Those refugees from the Baath Party dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. These same refugees returned to Iraq after the ouster of Hussein, and Hari was worried about them, his fears his out and out dissipated however when he met with them when they returned to London for a brief visit.

First, they wanted to establish debating societies and newsletters in the Baghdad universities. "These are going to be the seeds of democracy," Yasser explains. "Once you learn to argue against people instead of killing them as Saddam did, you're on your way. We explained to the university students that they could have different newspapers - and even have different opinions in the same newspapers - and it seemed totally surreal to them. They just couldn't understand it. But when they realised that it really was possible and nobody was going to punish them, they were so excited that they were just obsessed. They were in the middle of their exams and supposed to be studying, but they insisted on writing and photocopying a newsletter that they distributed everywhere. They wrote articles on amazing things they could find out about on the internet - philosophy and art and the difference between proportional representation and first-past-the-post! It was the best thing in my life, seeing that," Yasser says.

Amazing, no? Like the fact that there are already 200 competing journalism outlets in Baghdad and beyond already. Iraq Today being written in English. They do have concerns however. Security, Yes. Electricity Problems, Yes. But most telling of all. The fear that they will be abandoned by the United States.

There is a terrible fear among many Iraqis that they will not be able to match the Kurds' achievement if they are abandoned by the Americans once again. "The memories of 1991 are so vivid," says Sama. "People still fear that somehow the Americans will abandon us and Saddam will claw his way back from the grave. They say, "It happened in 1991, it could happen again." That's one crucial reason why people are reluctant to cooperate with the coalition." She adds: "I find it absolutely incredible that the anti-war people are now calling for the coalition to leave straight away. Nobody in Iraq wants that. The opinion polls show it's just 13 per cent. Don't they care about the Iraqi people and what they want at all? This isn't a game. This isn't about poking a stick at George Bush. This is our lives."

Not while George W. Bush is president Sama. You won't be abandoned. We made a mistake in 1991 and we learned from it. We won't abandon you again.

via (Andrew Sullivan.Com)