Iraq: 20-Years after War
In Arab folklore, a period of twenty years represents a generation and a reference point for reviewing the past. The 20th March will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq war.
I must remind you that in 2003, I had a firm belief that if Saddam Hussein was not removed from power, Iraq would have entered a dead end. This is because the country has come under the rule of a small elite of military figures, of which Saddam Hussein was the most prominent and the last of its icons.
In an interview with me, he talked about his “ancestors with their great achievements,” and viewed the present day Iraqis and Arabs in general as inferior. At that time, I saw him as a romantic, dreamer, with sharp narcissistic tendencies. After his death, I learned that he was a failed novelist, just as Stalin was a failed priest, Hitler a failed painter, Mao Zedong a failed poet, and Ayatollah Khomeini a failed theologian.
On the eve of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there was talk of US efforts to spread democracy by force. Is Iraq a better place now than it was under Saddam Hussein? Well, it may not be a better place, but it is certainly better than it was twenty years ago.
The war did not turn Iraq into a model of democracy, but, according to the description of an Iraqi friend a few days ago, it ended what (an academic) KananMakiya called the “republic of fear.”
[by Amir Taheri in Asharq Al-Awsat]
Assad after Earthquake
The earthquake which struck Syria and Türkiye on February 6 is the biggest in the history of the region in decades. It was felt by residents in Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Greece, Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, and some areas in Egypt. Reports indicate that more than 40,000 (now the figure reaches 50,000) people have died in Türkiye and nearly 6,400 others in Syria, in addition to more than 8 million affected.
Contrary to the conventions, after crises of this magnitude, the Syrian regime did not console the people for nearly two weeks. During that period, the regime concentrated its efforts on exploiting the tragedy to put pressure on lifting sanctions, ending its political isolation, and calling for more aid. Bashar Al-Assad addressed the Syrian people when his absence was questioned. But he refrained from declaring official mourning and focussed in his televised speech on his wounds, ignoring Idlib and its residents.
Assad’s lack of sympathy for the earthquake victims was also evident in his refusal to visit the affected areas for 4 days. Even when Bashar appeared in Aleppo, under the pressure of Western media and social media, he appeared laughing. It enraged the victims who saw the coverage of the event. The regime’s lack of responsibility towards the victims was also evident in its continued violations against civilians. The army bombed the damaged town of northern Aleppo and sent tanks to As-Suwayda in the hours following the disaster.
[by HaidHaid in Al-Majalla]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque