That’s the title of a series of posts by Michael J. Totten. Like Michael Yon, Totten is a reader-funded blogger-reporter who gets down in the weeds in various war zones from the Balkans to the Middle East. His reporting is honest and based on personal observation – observation that’s often dangerous.
In recent postings, Totten’s been openly questioning Iraq’s future after our departure. His latest involves an in-depth interview with an Iraqi who works closely with US forces and has earned the respect and trust of successive Marine and Army units who “pass him on” to the next-deployed unit.
The interview – and those with the Iraqi’s American handlers – provide a disturbing portrait of a society that’s conditioned for personal survival and little else. Several points made by Totten’s Iraqi correspondent: first, that 80 per cent of the Iraqi Arab population is bad. Most people will do anything to survive – even support Al Qaeda – and support the Americans only as long as the Americans are handing out the goodies. Second, Iran’s personnel in Iraq are lying low and waiting for their moment. Third, the political struggle is not about religion but about power. Finally, while most Iraqi Arabs don’t like Americans – although they smile like they do – they trust Americans. In fact, the Americans are the one group that Iraqis find utterly trustworthy.
Read the whole thing – it’s worth it.
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