EPIC Dispatches from Iraq and around the world on the crisis facing Iraqis and on the agencies and individuals making a difference.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Abu Aardvark on Iraqi Refugees
Mark Lynch, also known as Abu Aardvark, publishes a blog in which he writes extensively on a variety of issues concerning the Middle East and American policy in the region. Last week, he wrote about an interview he conducted with a visiting group of Iraqis at the United States Institute of Peace. One interviewee is Omar Abd al-Satter, a Sunni member of the Iraqi Parliament from the Islamist Iraqi Party. Aardvark asked Satter about the crisis concerning refugees and displaced persons."Satter", Aardvark writes, "strongly argued that the normalization of Iraq could never take place until the displaced returned to their original homes. He dismissed official statistics on the return of refugees and IDPs to this point as propaganda and lies. He dismissed arguments that sectarian separation was necessary for security - once the militias and al-Qaeda were driven out, he claimed, there would be no problems between Sunni and Shia." Through his blog, Aardvark does a commendable job bringing attention to the millions of displaced Iraqis through the Middle East.
1 comment:
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It is helpful to hear the opinions of US/ british officials on the ground, as well as those in contact with Iraqi refugees. I don't know what needs to happen to repair all the damage in Iraq, but we need to put pressure on our government to make improving the quality of living (safety, water, education, economy)for Iraqis a priority. Observing the after effects of colonialism and imperialism in other regions, I fear that US occupation in Iraq will have the same lasting damaging affects in Iraq. Knowing what we do about the history of occupied countries, can we find a way to prevent some of the damage that it causes, now that avoiding occupation all together doesn't seem to be an option?
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