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Recently, British Broadcasting Corporation decided to conduct a little vox populi around Iraq: "Two years after the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad, marking the fall of the city to US-led forces, BBC Arabic.com asked seven Iraqis for their thoughts on how life has changed for them since the conflict." The results were surprising, certainly for the BBC, whose attitude towards the liberation of Iraq has always been at best lukewarm. They were surprising for me too, not so much in what the seven Iraqis had to say, but that the BBC still chose to run the story.
Here's Saad, 32, sound engineer from Basra: "Iraqis are feeling better. They are breathing the air of freedom. They read, watch and say what they want. They travel, work and receive a living wage. They use mobile phones, satellite dishes and the internet, which they did not even know before... As for terrorism, we are now beginning to unite against it and to defeat it."
Noura, 32, computer engineer from Baghdad and a Christian: "While we lost security after Saddam's fall, we gained our freedom and a chance to build a new society."
Nada, 32, government worker from Mosul: "We never imagined that the Turkmen community would have a political party representing them in Iraq, but this is happening now."
Kaban, 31, electrical engineer from Baghdad: "There have been many changes since the fall of Saddam's regime, but the most important change was that we feel free... However, those who say that security was better in the past are completely wrong. It is true we did not have suicide car bombings in Saddam's era, but our homes did not feel safe from the intrusion of Saddam's security men, who came in the middle of the night to kidnap, kill or rape."
Waala, 25, schoolteacher from Baghdad: "The Sunnis in Iraq do not live in isolation from the political and social circles of life, as many people outside Iraq seem to believe. Nothing has affected our relationships with each other - we face the same problems. This applies to Sunnis or Shia, Christians or Muslims, Arabs or Kurds. Unfortunately, the refusal by some Sunnis to participate in the elections was the cause of some political isolation."
Imad Mohammed, 25, university graduate from Baghdad: "I am no longer worried about losing my dignity or my life. And I am also getting a higher income, like most Iraqis."
Yes, the sample is hardly representative, and the concerns also expressed by the seven interviewees are many, most notably the still precarious security situation. But the sense of new-found hope and optimism cannot be easily dismissed, particularly since it also seems to be reflected in other interviews, opinion polls, and changes on the ground. Here are some stories from the past fortnight that you might have missed.
SOCIETY: Iraq has its first democratically elected government, with the appointment of Ibrahim Al-Jaafari as the Prime Minister. Al-Jaafari is also the first Shia leader in modern Iraq's history. "Jaafari has two weeks to name his cabinet, which will allow the new government to begin work on its primary task: drafting a permanent constitution that would pave the way for elections for a permanent government in December. Jaafari is seen as a moderate Islamist, favoring a strong role for Muslim teachings but reaching out to all of Iraq's communities." As the speaker of the National Assembly said to his colleagues when all the formalities were out of the way: "Your people are looking at you and waiting. So, work!"
In some of the first positive developments after the formation of the new government, President Talabani has came out against any immediate withdrawal of the Coalition troops from Iraq. "I think we are in great need to have American and other allied forces in Iraq until we will be able to rebuild our military forces," he told an interview. He also suggested that Iraq will remain in close cooperation with the United States even after the withdrawal: "We will remain in full consultation and coordination, cooperation with our American friends, who came to liberate our country."
In other positive developemnts, Iyad Allawi's mainly secular Iraqi List will be joining the government of national unity and actively participating in drafting of the constitution. Meanwhile, other Sunnis, outside of the current parliament, are also cautiously moving to embrace the new political realities:
"Unlike many of their supporters, most Sunni politicians now accept Talabani as president. The Iraqi Islamic Party, which refused to take part in the elections, has called on its members to give Talabani a chance. Kheder Mohammed, a party member and Ramadi council member, said, 'In the interests of Iraq, we have to deal with Talabani and his new government free from sectarian, national, or ethnic judgment.'
"Middle-class, educated Sunni Arabs are, it seems, already willing to accept that the appointment of a Kurdish president is an important step towards democracy. 'Educated Arab Sunnis after the election became more accepting of the new political situation in Iraq. They understand that they must be part of politics to reach their goals, so they welcomed the presidency of Talabani,' said Mohand al-Grayri, a political analyst from the Strategic Centre in Baghdad."
[...] and on and on...
