I read this article on CNN last week and it really struck me as it described the horrible conditions and situations going on in Iraq right now and it really got me thinking, with all this their describing, are we, the US really making a difference over there? Are we actually helping instead of hindering their growth? Are we making things worse? When the US finally does pull out of Iraq, will they be better off and will they be able to sustain whatever good we've done, if any?Here's a summary of the main points I got from the article:
- 1.6 million Iraqi children are now homeless, some due to parental abandoning out of desperation but more from poor socio-economic conditions and deaths from violence.
- Many families are living in ares without basic necessities such as food and water and there aren't any jobs for provide for these things.
- Iraq's Red Crescent (I'm assuming is their Red Cross) had to close 18 shelters and are trying to house thousands of people in abandoned government buildings for the winter.
- The Iraqi children know more about bombs and explosions than basic reading and writing skills.
Another comment that struck me hard:
The greatest concern is the ripple effect it will have in the long term -- an
entire generation lacking basic life skills, surviving with no education, no
income and no families.
Going by this, it sounds pretty dire over there. I wonder if we're really helping those people or just making things much worse.
4 comments:
The U.S. presence in Iraq is definitely more of a hindrance than help. The government claims to be fighting for democracy in Iraq, but is actually stripping the Iraqi people of all of the basic freedoms that come with democracy. What's most concerning is that people are dying over politics that none of us will ever truly understand.
I fully agree with the previous comment. The United States has absolutely no business in Iraq. All the war in Iraq has done is create a negative world view of the United States and is the cause of so much unnecessary loss.
This is off topic but I find it interesting that you post someone pictures of your trip to NY, esp one from the MoS and the comments come pouring in. You post something with some hard-hitting substance and no one responds. Come on people, where's the intellectual integrity?
As for the post, the minute we decided to invade someone else's country for our own gain I knew things would end up fucked-up. From what I know, Iraq wasn't doing anything to harm us pre-March 2003 - Afghanistan was. It's this imperialistic, we-have-the-biggest-dicks-in-the-world attitude that's going to be our downfall. Look no farther than the fall of Rome for details.
Well, Chaz, if you want to know whether a questionably necessary full-scale military intervention into a country helps or hurts in the long term, check out Vietnam circa 1960 vs Vietnam today. I also adore how the US is responsible for all these orphans, but doing NOTHING to expand international adoption services into Iraq.
Also, you need a book deal or something. ;)
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