Azzaman, Iraq
Iraqis 'Abhor' U.S. Rhetoric; See Marines as 'Worse Than Enemies'

By Dr. Assaad al-Khafaji

July 17, 2006
Azzaman - Iraq- Original Article (English)    

U.S. rhetoric about its Iraq experiment is full of shallowness, naivety and indifference.

The United States invaded Iraq in April 2003, and since the demise of former President Saddam Hussein's regime, it has been leading the country.

U.S. President George W. Bush, who began the invasion with great promises of turning the Middle East into an oasis of democracy with Iraq as an example to follow, now realizes that his dreams have been shattered against the rock of reality.

Nonetheless, it appears that Bush's administration is reluctant to learn from the grave errors it has committed in Iraq, and continues with its "stay the course" rhetoric and policies despite the tragedies unfolding before their eyes.

Bush and his aides regurgitate the same rhetorical devices, despite the fact that their troops and massive firepower have failed to subdue even a single thoroughfare in Baghdad.

The rhetoric that the United States uses mirrors its polices and actions, which have all proved, in Iraqi in particular and the Middle East in general, to be short-sighted and counterproductive.

The time has come for the current U.S. administration, which has created the quagmire in Iraq, to acknowledge its failure in administering Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion.

These conditions stoke anti-U.S. hatred, not only among the majority of the Iraqi people, but across the entire Middle East and Muslim world.

The list of areas where U.S. policies in Iraq have gone wrong is a long one. In fact, it is hard for an observer to identify any area where the U.S. has left a positive mark.

This is why Iraqis today abhor American rhetoric about democracy, human rights and economic prosperity.

The U.S. Marines, who at first saw themselves as liberators have in the course of the past three and a half years turned into imperialists and enemies. They have come to Iraq not to spread freedom, but to protect themselves in their formidable bases and gigantic tanks.

Iraqis see the Marines as worse than enemies. The Marines see Iraqis as evil.

Once the Marines arrive in a city, town or village, they consider the inhabitants their adversaries.

Many Iraqis have lost trust in the United States and its forces, because they have come to believe that they are here to destroy rather than to build the country. Iraqis now see with their own eyes what has become of their country due to America's invasion.

Several cities have been leveled under the pretext of fighting terror, something that was nonexistent in Iraq before the invasion. Public services are in a shambles and Iraqis, sitting on massive oil reserves, can't find a cylinder of liquefied gas to do their cooking.

As for human rights, America's record in Iraq is miserable. The sectarian killings, kidnappings and forced evacuations are but a few of the side effects of the democracy Washington says it has created in Iraq.

But despite all of these calamities, the U.S. President and his aides are adamant about not changing their rhetoric and polices.

VIDEO FROM SYRIA: 'AMERICANS CAN BE

OUR FRIENDS ... IF THEY LEAVE QUICKLY'

SYRIAN TV, SYRIA: Excerpts from an interview with Secretary-General of the Sunni Clerics Association in Iraq, Sheik Hareth Al-Dhari, June 24, 00:04:48, Via MEMRI

"The Iraqis are not hostile to the Americans or the American people. They were not hostile even to the American army before it entered Iraq. The Americans could become our friends, if they leave Iraq peacefully, according to a timetable."

Sheik Hareth Al-Dhari