The USA in Iraq

So like I said before the USA is a part of life in Iraq and really the USA has been it for a long time. Of course the first Western country to come to Iraq was Britain. When the Ottoman Empire fell apart (a good thing), the Europeans took parts of the old empire. France got Lebanon and Syria and that is why some Lebanese people think they are European French and even they speak Arabic with some French words and when some of these Lebanese men talk they sound like fancy French women. Also they wear fancy clothes and spend a lot of time doing their hair. That is a different story I think.

So Iraq was basically three Ottoman provinces put together, they were Basra, Baghdad, and Mosul. These were very big provinces, not like the ones today. Kuwait was part of the Basra province… but that is also a different story. So Britain ruled Iraq and gave Iraq a kingdom with a Sunni king from Saudi Arabia. Then Iraq became independent and then it became a republic. So anyway Britain was the Western country most involved in Iraq.

Now everyone had relations with Iraq for many years and the USA supported Saddam against Iran but of course later things changed and Saddam invaded Kuwait and threatened the Wahhabi Saudi terror state, which is some sort of friend to the USA. The USA and Saddam were big enemies. Since threatened and fought Saddam the USA has been the most involved Western country in Iraq and always every Iraqi new that the fate of Iraq was in USA hands. And the USA then came and got rid of Saddam and occupied Iraq so now more than ever the USA is very involved in Iraq.

I remember in 2003 as Saddam was kicked out of power I was thinking how the future would be. I thought about how now the USA and Iraq were very closely linked and I also wondered how kids growing up in Iraq would learn about the USA and think about it. Under Saddam the USA was said to be evil and you started a school day praising Saddam and his 17 July revolution. I remember after on 17 July in 2005 some friends and I were relaxing and one guy said, “Happy 17 July.” And another said, “Remember when at school you said long live Saddam and long live 17 July?” So this guy raised up his glass and said, “Death to Saddam and death to the 17 July.” And actually we said other very profane things about the bastard Saddam and his gang of whores, but I wont repeat it here! Anyway I thought that the USA got rid of the murderer and bastard Saddam so maybe the future would be very much better.

Unfortunately things have gotten very bad in Baghdad and some people want the Americans to leave and some don’t but still I don’t think that the next generation of Iraqis will think of the USA as a hero. Still, no matter what, the USA and Iraq are linked and it was not a choice of Iraqis but that is how it is. I can only think about how the next generation will live and think about this. Hopefully at least they can live in peace without a dictator like Saddam or battles in the streets.