Freedom in Iraq is here to stay!
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Posted: February 23, 2008
1:00 am Eastern
© 2008
Editor's note: Marc Knutson recently returned from a two-week trip to Iraq. He wrote a three-part series of columns reporting on what he found there. This is Part 3 of the series. Read Part 1, "Iraqis enjoy freedom from fear." Read Part 2, "Neighborhood Watch on a national scale."
By Marc Knutson
On my recent trip to Iraq, I wanted to know what the locals really thought of American actions. We often hear about the "Great Satan" intervening in their affairs. So, my goal was to ask everyone I came in contact with, "Do you see America and the coalition forces as invaders or liberators?" I asked that question so often that my driver would anticipate my timing and would ask the question before I got to it. Overwhelmingly, the reply was "liberators!!" with an extra exclamation point.
I had the opportunity to speak with Adnan, the Iraqi country manager for a British petroleum company in Erbil. Adnan portrayed the stereotypical image that I had of an elder Middle Eastern man. His presence commanded my instant respect. Once again, I was treated to an enjoyable feast of wisdom and great appreciation of America. It was obvious that he didn't want me to lose a single syllable of his answer: "Liberators! That's who you are. That's what you've done. That's how we will always think of you." Assured that he had my undivided attention, what he was going to say next was from his heart, "and don't let anyone tell you anything different." Yes, his English was broken and heavily spiked with a Middle Eastern accent, but his message was not lost because of it.
"But," I protested, "There are many Americans who believe that our efforts were inspired by big oil profits and personal political gain by governmental leaders." I thought surely I was representing the protests of those who oppose American involvement.
"I know that in America, you are not a country of fools. You couldn't be who you are in international stature if you were. Saddam was a fool, Hitler was a fool, and look where they are now. Americans are not fools. But, I also know that politics will rule their emotions." For a moment he turned away; I think he was a bit frustrated in how he wanted to express his point. "I only ask for half of America to live what we have lived, to experience the everyday fear of torture, family separation and harassment. I will say this as plainly as I can – George Bush is a hero. He is our hero! The sons and daughters of America who died to make it so we can be free are heroes and indeed liberators! We now enjoy freedom and liberty almost as the Americans do."
Once again, silence highlighted the moment. "I believe you Americans called the war 'Operation: Iraqi Freedom,' right?" I conceded with a nod as Adnan continued, "Then why would you so quickly change? The great people of America have are charged with duties of helping the repressed peoples of the world. It's not something that I just believe; it is as a result of your own greatness and moral integrity. America is known around the world as a nation with a big heart and a heavy responsibility. … It is more incumbent upon the most powerful nation in the world to help the repressed."
(Column continues below)
I thought of how people like Adnan could live lives of guilt-free liberty and have a say in their own society, culture and fate. There appears a genuine ownership of their new freedom, evidence that they won't take it for granted.
It is one thing to secure an area by force. Drop a few bombs, roll in a couple tanks, bivouac a battalion or two of soldiers – and it's yours. However, not completely, not if you haven't won over the hearts of the indigenous people.
Baseball in Iraq
I had the opportunity to visit Camp Zaytun, the Korean-operated Airport Perimeter Security military installation. While the Korean contingent of the coalition force is responsible for maintaining perimeter security of the Erbil International Airport, there is a small cadre of American soldiers assigned to the camp. In fact, they are the only American soldiers stationed in Kurdish-controlled territory. I was invited to have lunch with them in their mess hall. After I handed out Christmas cards and Oreo cookies from home, we sat down to eat lunch.
I was seated among four ranking officers and a non-commissioned officer. For an hour they spoke of countless "positive" events that they had experienced. One surfaced as my favorite.
A colonel from the Oregon National Guard related a story to me that he surely thought would pique my interest and satisfy my desire to seek positive stories from Iraq.
"This past summer we decided to conduct a 'Baseball Camp' for local children," he explained. "They weren't very familiar with baseball, so we had to start with the very, very basics." He ramped up his excitement and his whole countenance beamed as he relived the event. "We invited children from Erbil to participate, but we encountered some issues right away. The U.S. State Department required that the parents sign a waiver of liability. Most of the parents opted out because they didn't trust the papers. In the old days, signing government papers in Iraq was usually for quite severe reasons; these parents were too gun shy and abused by the previous regime. This meant that we were short of kids to field teams. We went to a local orphanage and recruited kids from there. Another issue presented itself; these kids needed the proper shoes. We had some, but not all of them fit. So, we ran downtown and bought enough sneakers for all the kids. We had a blast teaching them the game." He was proud as he spoke of outfitting the children with "sneakers." "Our primary mission was Iraqi Freedom; today it is 'Iraq: Enjoy Your Freedom!'"
(Photos: Marc Knutson)
Construction boom
There are many explosions in the lands of the South, but none matches the construction boom coming from the Kurdistan Region. Not just reconstruction, as one would picture post World War II Europe, but brand-new modern buildings. The war itself barely touched the Northern Province. So to say that they are rebuilding war-damaged structures would be inaccurate. Ironically, Turkish investors are pouring investment monies into the North.
After years of neglect and abuse from the Saddam government, which sought the demise of the Kurds, their freedom to build and expand is at a feverish pace. New hotels, shopping centers, swim centers and even bowling alleys have sprung up throughout the region. In Erbil alone, they are enjoying four new shopping malls. While not American-sized malls – they are indeed American-style. The dollar is very welcomed. If you run out of Iraqi dinars, the dollar makes for a great and welcomed substitute.
The Erbil International Airport is being rebuilt with an "under construction" terminal and a 4.8-kilometer runway, strong enough and long enough to handle the new Airbus A380. At completion, it will rank fifth among the world's longest runways. Looking toward the future, planners see Erbil as a hub for many airlines headed from Europe and the West, to the Far East and India.
There are future revenue sources literally lying in puddles on top of the ground. In the land Saddam Hussein preferred to waste away, there are oil resources just itching to be tapped. The oil industry in Kurdistan is admittedly 25 years behind the rest of the oil exploration world, simply because Saddam would not allow modern technology information into the industry. Oil-related trade magazines, periodicals, etc. were not permitted. Nonetheless, today they are making up for it. New wells are being dug in areas where looking for oil was a matter of taking a stroll, because there is oil lying in puddles on the surface. Despite the obvious evidence to the contrary, the Kurds had been told for years that they had no oil resources under their soil. The oil is there, and that is great economic news for the Kurds. New hope glistens with each new sunrise.
To my wonderment, Northern Iraq was the actual antithesis of my expectations. I saw people who had been released into the field of life's opportunities unencumbered by the freedom-restricting yoke on their shoulders called Saddam Hussein.
What I learned was, as Americans, we ought to be proud of what has happened. Our work in Iraq has been well-received and greatly appreciated – and not in some light or trifled fashion. These people grieve for the sacrifices many Americans have paid. They are ashamed and embarrassed by the renegade, fanatical Islamacists from other countries who have caused so much grief. As one mother of a dead Iraqi son so adeptly put it, as she spoke through her tears, "Your sons are our sons."
There are plenty of good news stories within Iraq that need to be told to America, and indeed the entire world. I had been misled into believing that there can only be three things that we can expect from Iraq: despair, hopelessness and death.
There are stories that are brimming with hope, stories that fill our hearts with pride and lift our heads from the dregs of defeatism, allowing us to rise to the soaring heights of pride. We Americans, using our resources, earned through liberty, helped to free others squashed by tyranny. Who better than Americans to realize the taste of democracy?
The liberated peoples of Iraq now enjoy the opportunity to release pent up, repressed ideas and expressions that only liberation from tyranny can provide. Only a few short years separate these people from the days of hiding in fear. Savoring the fresh taste of democracy on their tongues, today's worries consist of their children's school grades, rising oil prices, or other common things that the rest of the world wrestles with.
As one person in the government related to me as I was leaving, "We love America, we love George Bush, we want to maintain a relationship with America like Israel has. In fact, we want to be America's 'Second Israel' in the region!"
Such high hopes, I thought! Such trust in America! As I remember the joyous, childlike faith and the look on his face as he told me that, my heart went out to him. And I heard my inner voice say, dripping with cynicism, "I only hope that your trust in American is not shattered by American politicians and American politics."
The hope in democracy, the faith in freedom and the trust in liberty allow these people to have a say in their own destiny. Their fate rests in their hands, and from what I observed, they are not going to let it go. They know it came at a great cost, to them and to America. Because I have seen that look in their eyes, I believe that they are not going to squander the opportunity that has been handed to them. They don't take their freedom for granted – and they won't.
AI
