Chaos in Iraq - The MoPo's Perception

Not that the Berliner Morgenpost (MoPo) matters a lot - but this article provides a typical example of the kind of biased "Chaos in Iraq" reporting that is so prevalent in Germany's media.

The USA in Iraq: Stay or Leave

(...) All that's left is chaotic muddling through - without vision or strategic coherence. And the trends are moving in the wrong direction. ... As far as the economy is concerned, the Iraqis have hardly benefited from the $18.6 billion of promised reconstruction funds. ... (The) trends point to chaos and horror.

The article's author, Boris Kalnoky, painted a much rosier picture of the economic development in Iraq not long ago. He seems to have lost track of the situation.

Others didn't. For instance, Iraqi blogger Mohammed, who wrote:

Not in my city

My last trip to Samawa was short but full of events. It’s not easy for someone who used to live in Baghdad to accommodate to life in a village far away in the south. ... My arrival day was the day when a rally of support and gratitude to the coalition passed the streets of Samawa. The scene was very delightful for me, I, who believe in the necessity of establishing a strategic partnership with the free world represented by the coalition, because this the only way for Iraq to rise again, prosper and join the modern, free world.

It was a very encouraging thing to see that the simple people there understood the case and this is probably the first time where people go out to the streets to thank and support our allies in the coalition, but strangely it came from ordinary, simple people not from those who claim to be civilized intellectuals.

I reached my destination, which is a small town about 35 km away from the center of the governorate. It’s a very simple town that suffered from Saddam’s neglect like many other southern cities but what pleases me in every trip is the appearance of a new foundation in the town. Last time I was surprised to see a new water treatment plant (or the so called RO in the south) near the river distributing clean water for the whole town for free, with four brand-new automobile tanks to deliver water to the remote villages twice a day. Everyone is grateful there as our major health problems are caused by polluted water. Now, this new processing plant will help rid the city of many health problems.
In my very last trip, the special new thing was a campaign to renew the doctors’ residency that we-12 doctors-live in and a decent temporary place is provided for us until the old miserable residency is fully rehabilitated.

The other new foundation that is being constructed now is an Internet Center. Who would dream to see Internet service available in a southern village? This is more than a dream coming true, it makes me feel proud and it makes people believe more and more that the change is in their interest.

The pictures I see are so many and they bring hope...

The point behind all these pictures and stories I mentioned is that the people started to speak out and express their feelings and here we’re in great need for support from the free world to back the progress. Moving back is absolutely unacceptable; we’ve put our feet on the right way and we need help from the others. Never let the bad pictures lay their heavy shadow on the good, bright ones. The negative media want our eyes to pause on the bad events to win time in this worldwide battle and to make us forget the good pictures that encourage us to keep the momentum. This includes most of the major western media.

They are ‘unconsciously’ supporting the terrorists and the totalitarian regimes in the region to stop this great progress. The media have managed to create some distrust and hate between some Iraqis and some of the coalition and the west in general. Well, not in my city, it seems to be immune to their poison.
The road is long and hard but together, we can do it.

Case closed.

(Translation by Hartmut Lau)

Comments

[Wes]

Here's another Iraqi guy's observation:

http://iraq-iraqis.blogspot.com/2004/05/chances.html

[Robert in Mexifornia]

It was enormously refreshing to read Mohammed's thoughts on Iraq's development. This is in stark contrast to the German media's take on Iraq. German and other European elites want the US to fail in Iraq. They don't seem to understand the consequences such a development may have on them.

[Joe]

Robert,

I happen to agree with you. I for one believe we are past of the point of war and no war. We should be past the point of trying to score politial points.

I am afraid we are not there yet in the US. I cannot see how Europe could be expected to some how jump ahead of the US, in both understanding and in internal and external agreement on moving forward as one.

As an American, I have actually tired to look into the future and guess what it might like. It is scary. It as scary and maybe even more scary for Europe intially than the US. But whether we like it or not, whether we want to believe it or not, we are really all in this together. We will have to fight as one or we are going to be defeated singularly. If we do not change this is going to be the outcome. I do not think anyone in the West truly wants this. I just refuse to believe they do.

I cannot think of how any sane person no matter what their initial position on Iraq might have been would want anything less than some form of real success there.

A weaken US leaves Europe with the only option but to surrender. This would not of course happen immediately but in time say 10 - 15 years.

We, collcetively, have no sense of time, no perspective, no reading and understanding of history. But we fight among ourselves on almost non issues.

A bomb cares not what you are. It will kill you just the same.

[more_human_than_human]

@David:

I very much appreciate the theme of your blog, and I think in general you have a valid point. I’d like to address a question to you, in keeping with this particular subject:

It seems to me that you are saying that the situation in Iraq isn’t so bad, and the slanted media is to blame for reporting too much of the bad news, and not enough of the good.

On the whole, I think this may be valid, though even so, the good news seems a little overstated in reaction to all the bad news (phone, electricity, sewage treatment are almost up to pre-war levels, but the liberators are torturing people to extract confessions of rape...). But patience is the order of the day. Things may well improve. On the bright side, yes, there have been local elections - whether they are perceived as an achievement of the coalition is another question, since they were scheduled for last year and were canceled by the coalition. I don't know what circumstances led to them finally being held, but I'm not so sure the coalition received credit for them in the mind of the Iraqi public.

I presume that Iraqis on the ground are in the best position to judge whether they feel better under one of three sets of circumstances: under Saddam (nope)/under US... well let’s call it “presence” to avoid the whole “occupation/liberation” question/without either Saddam or the US “presence”.

The overwhelming vote among Iraqis, according to current polls, appears to be for the third option, which is, to put it bluntly: “Thank you for removing Saddam, but can you please leave?”

Iraqis on the ground can see first hand the results of the US “presence”; they’re in the best position to judge the situation around them. And they don’t seem to like the current situation all that much – they want the coalition out of their hair.

These people are faced not just with the media, but with the plain reality of today’s Iraq each and every day.

The question I have is this:

Why isn’t the good news that we’re missing getting through even to the Iraqis, who really only have to look out their windows to see how things are going?

I know your blog generally concerns itself with German media, but it appears to me your overwhelming focus is American politics, and melding US politics and your knowledge of the media leads me to wonder if you have any insights into this subject.

[WhatDoIKnow]

more... :Why isn’t the good news that we’re missing getting through even to the Iraqis

You got it wrong, again. Start with reading Iraqi blogs.

If you manage to be open-minded enough, not "open-minded" like German journalists, you might find out how Iraqis feel. Then, of course, as Roger Simon says, those Iraqi blogers might be CIA...

[more_human_than_human]

@WhatDoIKnow:

I do read Iraqi blogs, and a wide variety of blogs in general.

Why are the overwhelming majority not happy with the coalition forces when they are doing such a good job at reconstruction? Why is the positive message not getting through to them?

[WhatDoIKnow]

Ask the people whose blogs you're reading.