Define Freedom in Americans eyes : = freedom is how to invade a counrty and convince yourself and media that you made good thing and you are an angel came from the sky to free a people from thier freedom and peacefull life into freedom in USA way which is full of (Bombs,killing,tanks,marines,rockets every where)......Thank you Hayder for this you helped....wish you be togethar with your family again and all iraqi people back to home again because we miss the good people of iraq and old days
You sir have spoken what most of us (still living in Iraq) are thinking of and what we are feeling about this issue ... you have our total support and appreciation for this great effort ........and wish that you consider making more interviews or even go on TV.
It breaks my heart to see history in repetition. Remember the Crusades? What has changed since then? Since the beginning of time the man with the bigger stick, who is coincidentally also the man with half the brain, bullies and oppresses the man with the smaller stick.
Is the uploader of this video the actual man in the video? If it is than thanks for doing this. As an American I'm so discouraged by what my country now stands for in the eyes of the rest of the world. The section where the man sits down and tries to tell you what is good for Iraq is a prime example. Americans will preach about what should be done in any situation even if they have no real knowledge of that situation.
@WaterJake Oh lol, you IDIOT. How many millions of ordinary people lost their property, health and lifes and how many were there politically repressed?
So, why is this guy crying on an ignored network instead of back in Iraq, rebuilding his country? He could be one of the founding fathers of the Iraq of the future and build it the way he thinks it should be. Go home, talk to your people and build what they want. You want a democracy? we'll help you build it! if you want a theocracy fine, but we may not be as receptive. You want a terrorist state we wont help, and you'll have to fight us. Bottom line you're not doing anything to help them here.
It did go from bad to worse, as he says, and the American government made countless mistakes, but at least now there is hope now. He mentions how people think of Saddam's time and they just stop there and won't move on. They're stuck. On the other hand, these types of people are stuck in the past as well and won't accept the reality or try to think of building a better future.
@Naruto19892006 They did. The point is the country was relatively stable prior to our invasion. We catalyzed a civil war that has left 100s of thousands of Iraqis dead and if we hadn't invaded most of those human beings would still be alive. Saddam was bad but the war was much, much worse.
@DeadlyMACD It was stable, but not safe. The difference b/w the violence before and after the war is that it was hidden back then, and now it's all over the news. I think that Saddam definitely needed to go, but of course the way that the US went in was just terrible. I don't think there was a clear plan even, and everyone turned on each other. The method was the problem. Even though there's violence now, we can say it's relatively stable as well. Like I said, now we have hope, unlike back then.
this guy; "I had personally relatives that were killed, I know life was not good." "Sadam was bad."
If you go back 70 years and read the NY Times or other International news outlets....one would see the same kind of rhetoric - anti-Amer...ican involvement of World War II. Surely 70 years later we can all agree that our involvement in World War II was the greatest decision.
instead of asking him they are telling him and they were nerver have been in iraq! try to locate your country in the map ! im laughting loud at this video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hahaha love how you put the dumb drunk military guys in... im in the US Army too but i just felt so embarrassed I had to turn it off... "take off your glasses so I know your not lying to me" Id say go fuck yourself are you a body language expert?, NO your drunk and I wanna talk to people that will remember this in the morning. Hope people dont think we are all like that.
@liquidsilencer Thanks for checking the video out buddy. I spent years around U.S. servicemen in Iraq and the states and have made close friendships with very intelligent individuals. So no generalization made by any mean. Hope all is well at your end.
@iraqicaptain1 Haider. I'm teaching high school students about perceptions vs. truth, and what media has to do with it. This video proved valuable, as my students, living in a liberal bubble, could see that there are those who blindly hold on to banal patriotic rhetoric to blind themselves from the truth. I'm wondering though, did you speak to more people who knew what they were talking about, besides girl, Tori? Did This Am. Life represent your experience honestly?
@liquidsilencer actully i think he is trained if you look at someones eyes and the person is lying they will usually look in a diffrent direction or there is something that they will do that will give it away.
I still can not believe how some american`s think that they need to correct the whole world,and they have no respect for countries that have been on the face of the Earth much,much more than they can even imagine.You are not the ones that are going to separate wrong from right,so stop trying already.....
In the first gulf war we made a promise to the people. If you rise up we will support you. What we did not mention was the secret deal we made with the Saudis in exchange for the use of their airbases that we wouldn't set foot in Baghdad. So people rose up and were slaughtered and our support was not there. We armed him, supported him and helped him to commit the atrocities we later used to justify the second war. Our leaders are cowards, driven by profit and they care not who suffers.
This short film was shown recently at the Amsterdam Pluk de Nacht Open Air Film Festival. I really enjoyed the film, it was very touching. Also, it was received very well by the (large!) audience.
Two things, one, he presents a very fascinating and instructional viewpoint. He encapsulates the tragedy of the war. The second is that one must remember that he only can represent himself. He cannot speak for others in Iraq such as the politically repressed, Kurds, etc.
@WaterJake You're absolutely right. I only represent my own view, not even that of my family as they may differ and definitely not that of the Kurds as you pointed. Though its important to remember that the Kurds are a minority, and in most countries you cant judge the public opinion based on that of the minority group(s).
Well, what about the Shi'a Arabs of the South? The Marsh Arabs and others? They are also happy(mostly).
The Baghdad region and Al-Anbar have suffered tremendously but they are still a minority overall. But you still have freedom. Remember the guy who threw the shoe at Bush? To say that Saddam would have him tortured in mind bending ways is a severe understatement...
this guy can articulate some of the more subtle characteristics of this whole big thing,.. and he lets people speak and unequivocally listens. wish there were more americans like him
this guy can articulate some of the more subtle characteristics of this whole big thing,.. and he lets people speak and unequivocally listens. wish there were more americans like him
This film has been very instructive for me personally. It's really great to get a point of view from someone who was there before and after we stepped in since it isn't being brought up by the media. I'm very ashamed of what we did and how we try to force our beliefs on other cultures. Thank you for showing this.
How was the man in the army an embarrassment? He had actually been to Iraq and knew the real story, that the people of Iraq are not our enemy. Looks like they may have actually been able to talk some sense into that idiotic marine.
It's relevant now and has been for YEARS (over two decades now?!). Kudos to this Iraqi kid for having the balls to approach the Southern public. Kudos to America for giving him the safety and right to do so.
Btw...to people who are (at least) semi effected, use 1/5 of their brains and at least 1/3 of their hearts, this will always be relevant;.
i just think it's hilarious and terribly arrogant how americans are telling him, an iraqi, on the history of his country and what to do and what's right. if any foreigner ever did this an american, it would be totally unacceptable. why, as americans, do we feel we have the know all of every country when we have no idea?!
1- Britain was a hellhole because it declared war (on Germany) and not was because it was invaded. So Britain was in fact the decision maker, while Iraq and Iraqis had no say and were forced to deal with invading forces on their lands, which is so much different from suffering air strikes.
2- Britain received direct and intense support from the US, USSR and France. Meanwhile, Iraq was assaulted by over 35 armies.
Furthermore, 3- Iraq has a more complex cultural, ethnic, sectarian and national structure which makes the challenge internal within its society and not external with a foreign force alone.
4- Today, Iraq has already lost more casualties than Britain did during WWII although its half the population of Britain in 1930s.
You won't hear debate from me on that. The Iraq war was a spectacular screw up - but it was the leaders not the idea.
Hussein and his party had to be overthrown. Bombing pill factories and sanctions weren't good enough - war was the best option. Iraq has a chance to be real democracy now rather than go back to being a slave to a dictator. I'm sorry for the horror of war but history isn't.
Why do people think that Iraqis are different? why do you think that Americans worth more than them? do Americans have extra organs or parts in their brains or something? and Iraqis lack it?
Iraq = first civilization on Earth (Mesopotamia!!)
@satoofi93 yeah, the media only talks @ American lives being lost, what @ hundreds of thousands of Iraqis murdered, families having to hide or be displaced, losing their livelihoods, being occupied, I mean this guy is incredibly patient with these stupid Americans. Iraq--belly button of the world, incredible history, beautiful people.
You are right. The problem is so horrible because Iraqi lives don't seem to mean anything to US government, media, or people, while if even 1 of US soldiers die, it is on the news. Why should I feel bad for US soldiers when this has affected millions of Iraqis, and the cost in lives to them is not even counted?! They are human beings too, and most innocent Muslims.
So many dipshits in this country think like this. Sad to say my mom is one of them. "You weren't free!" Totally missing everything the guy just said.
Many people in this country just regurgitate the same old shit they were told in grade school, not knowing the meaning of any of it. To that guy, "Freedom" has no other meaning than "constitutional democracy".
This was hilarious in the beginning, before the video mentioned that people began to "tell" stuff instead of "asking" things. But I guess they figured they could "tell" instead of "ask" because the booth just said "'Talk' to an Iraqi" But subjectively, there isn't much to say without being circular, up until you ask an Iraqi yourself. I guess it's about listening.
hahaha lol I live in Sweden and get almost the same questions all the time, (the guy who asks for woterpark was funny, old man with the money iraq owns, we can do the world to a woterpark): lol
I'ma quote LBJ a lil bit but change it up "I will not send American boys 10,000 miles away to fight a war that little muslim boys should be doin themselves"
Well, if you actually listen to the Army guy, instead of just listening to the swear words, he is saying, "listen my Marine friend, I HAVE BEEN TO IRAQ, and was in on the actual invasion, and I am here to tell you that the general population of Iraq and muslims in general are not our enemy."
He was just saying it all fucked up because he was drunk.
Thank you for making this documentary. I really enjoyed watching this and it was a little informative. It would be nice though to see more of your responses given to people.
Thanks for posting the video. I am taking a class called the history of the middle east and hearing these stories give me an even more better visual understanding of what the course is about. Doesn't tell me everything, but it sure does help. Thanks.
No, I know it's from the radio program. (I've been listening to it for more than ten years.) My comment was meant to refer to the video footage showing the Iraqi guy interacting with people on the street; I wanted to know if there was any more of THAT footage and, if so, if it could be posted here. It was real interesting seeing this.
Hi there. I saw this show only yesterday and I thought it was a very brave thing for you to do. I would have asked you what you think of the Iraqi Government now, such that it is. I heard this morning on NPR that your Prime Minister is in Washington. What does that mean to you and to your people in general? Thanks for your time. Lisa
Thank you. So compared to what we have been suffering since the US invasion, then what we had before was heaven.. Its not "Saddam's fascist republicr" that was heaven, if you notice i called it hell only seconds before, its the relative stability and sense of security, its the fact that we were living in our own homes like humans verses the 4.5 million homeless Iraqis today, its the women who had dignity and protection and are now selling their bodies in Syria and Dubai. Please watch 6:32-6:56
Dictators are good at law & order, that's what they've always been good at.
Right now, Iraq is going through a hellish transition, the majority want a peaceful, democratic country which respects the rights of its citizens, who is the greatest obstacle to this?
Blaming the US for everything doesn't cut it, I know the Arab world is not used to introspection, & I rarely see them be self-critical, but blaming the US for car bombers, instead of blaming car bombers for car bombers is the problem.
I support the Iraqi army in their struggle against the barbarism of islamists and baathists. Let them bring these people to justice, but stop confusing everyone about who the real enemy is.
The security situation in Iraq was actually better when the U.S. occupied it for the first 14 months. The bulk of the violence occured after the 2005 elections, and it has reached a low, but spiking ironically as U.S. troops leave the cities (apparently not fighting because of the"occupation").
While i agree with some of the points you have raised, i think you have a strong opinion against the Baath regime (which is very understandable) and for you anything else is better...meanwhile there are real humans with reals lives, hopes and dreams being killed...whether Saddam kills your son, a US soldier does it or a terrorist, believe me...it hurts as bad. All i can say is if you think Iraq is in a much better shape now then move with your family there and message me with what you think
That's not true, I don't consider the status quo to be good in Iraq, but I see it as temporary, if we had more support to fight those trying to reverse every good thing that has happened in Iraq so far, we'd move towards a stable and peaceful Iraq, but all I hear is people making excuses for terrorists while attributing everything that's wrong solely to the U.S., it's counter-productive, it's hurting the cause.
Something I've notice is the inability to recognize that those "insurgents" want the worst for Iraqis, and we're the ones fighting them. People on the left, and people throughout the Muslim world refer to them as "freedom fighters" or a legitimate resistance. They want to destroy democracy in Iraq, and they want to enslave other Iraqis, and we are on the other side. It's not my side that says surrender to these people and let them have their way.
I was there 3 months ago and it is your country. If you want to make something of it you got to do your part. I don't know your story, maybe you are just showing people the truth but the real change happens over there. as I'm sure you know this.
I was there till 2007 trying to do just that...meanwhile i was kidnapped twice, shot and imprisoned...whether the change starts here or there, if dead i will not even have the chance. Sorry to say, that you being there 3 months ago only goes to prove that it is not yet my country, although im sure of your good intentions.
There are U.S. soldiers in Japan & South Korea, does a troop presence automatically mean you have no sovereignity? The U.S. is there under a U.N. mandate to protect the elected government of Iraq from being overthrown by the worst thugs & murderers, ones which supposedly kidnapped and shot you. I want the best possible outcome for Iraqis, & for that to happen, these thugs need to be fought, yes, or no?
Did the egg come out of the chicken or the chicken came out of the egg? are the terrorists there because the US soldiers are there or soldiers are there cause terrorists are there?
Lets be reasonable in our comparisons, the US soldiers in Japan and South Korea are not conducting air strikes, search operations, foot patrols, cordon operations, arrests and killings...they are not even there to protect the governments from being overthrown, when you have that situation then yes, no sovereignty
"the US soldiers in Japan and South Korea are not conducting air strikes, search operations, foot patrols, cordon operations, arrests and killings"
Not now, you're right, since those countries r now stable and prosperous countries.
"are the terrorists there because the US soldiers are there or..."
Terrorists were there, but dormant. Documents found after the invasion reveal Saddam trained suicide operatives, he asked their volunteer forms to be filled out: "preferably in their own blood."
where did the quote "preferably in their own blood" come from? can you please provide the source. Instead of talking about documents or allegations, lets talk about facts...can you point out one single suicide car bomb attack in Iraq before the US entered there country? hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, how can you or anyone even think of justifying that and using it as a price tag to say it was worth it?!
"hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, how can you or anyone even think of justifying that and using it as a price tag to say it was worth it?!"
But this is the easiest argument to make against any war.... I assume you're not a pacifist. I assume you also realize that in every war civilians are sometimes killed.
Iraqi official government figures give around 100 000 civilian deaths, the majority of civilian deaths caused by suicide bombers, and death squads. I want those to stop.
Iraqis have been killing each other for decades. The 80s and 90s were horrible for Iraqis. But after the liberation, I did not expect the 3arab jarab from places like al Salt, Jordan, to travel hundreds of miles to mass murder Iraqi Shia, in order to punish them for wanting the end of Saddam's regime.
"I assume you also realize that in every war civilians are sometimes killed."
Because the motivation of the Iraq War was to SAVE the Iraqi people. Killing thousands and displacing millions is hardly "liberating" someone.
"I want those to stop."
Too late. Maybe the US government should have anticipated that dilemma before it decided to wage preemptive war against a nation that posed no threat to America, and re-awakened a long standing monotheistic hatred.
Aren't you aware that thousands of French civilians were killed by allied bombings to liberate them from Nazi tyranny?
Let me ask you, are Iraqis afraid to return to Iraq because of the U.S. troops presence, or because of terrorists and murderers? Are Iraqis afraid to go to markets because of U.S. troops? Are Iraqis afraid to vote because of U.S. troops? It does you well to know who the enemy is, and who is keeping Iraqis down and out.
You don't blame the enemy, but the people fighting them.
"Let me ask you, are Iraqis afraid to return to Iraq because of the U.S. troops presence, or because of terrorists and murderers?"
I dispute the premise behind that question. Obviously it isn't that the American troops are randomly killing civilians, it's that the presence of US troops provided an impetus for terrorists to begin attacking them in the first place.
Avoiding the war would, therefore, have avoided those unnecessary casualties.
My only enemy is ignorance. In this case, the brash, politically motivated, stupid, irrelevant, unnecessary war in Iraq that has ruined the chances of democracy in Iraq by awakening religious tension and re-awakening a long standing colonial presence in the Middle East that has decided history there for centuries.
My enemies are people who serve their own petty, disgusting interests, that includes Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the Bush administration.
And what do you think would've happened if the people rised up? What happened to the Kurds in that scenario? Gassed.
Yes, if you fight against something that others believe in, like baathism, like fascism, like theocracy, you'll have people who resist it.
The reason Hitler bombed Britain was because Britain declared war on Germany. They could've made peace with Herr Hitler, after all, fighting them only made them fight back!
There is a clear and obvious difference between fighting a singular personality like Hitler, who was a megalomaniac and psychopath, and combating an insurgency, whose roots and interests in the region involve not only politics but religion as well.
There is a clear difference, and attempting to argue the point further would be ridiculous.
Ask yourself who installed the Ba'ath party and Saddam in the first place. The CIA funded a Hussein in an attempt to assassinate the leader at the time.
Which disugsting interest was Bush pursuing? And an american defeat in Iraq would've served whose interest?
Was there a chance of democracy before the U.s. invasion? What chance was there? Please elaborate.
You're echoing the common anti-war mantra that there is no democracy in Iraq, there is already, it's your unwillingness to admit there has been a positive development out of your anti-american prejudice.
Iraqis have voted for their government for the first time in their history.
Bush? No no. Bush had no real power in the White House. Dick Cheney, with his extensive oil and military industrial business history, the fact that all of the key players in the administration including Donald Rumsfeld, had shook Saddam Hussein's hand and had been active in the previous Gulf War, the fact that Cheney made a concerted attempt to cook and manufacture CIA intelligence that was used in the UN briefing by Colin Powell, etc.
So you want me to list the car bombs and US air strikes that killed civilians in Iraq since 2003? cause i fear there wont be enough hours in the day to do so. If we all compare ourselves to the devil, then we will all turn out to be angels. Its not a competition on who killed more Iraqis, its about holding people accountable on their actions...saddam was, but the Bush administration wasnt.
Saddam was brought to justice, only because of the Bush admin..
We don't have to be angels, it's ridiculous to suppose that we can be perfect, & that no civilians will be killed, especially in urban combat. Especially since the Fedayeen Saddam used to use ambulances to carry troops around, & used civilian cars as bombs. Insurgents would wave white flags pretending to be civilians in order to draw U.S. troops towards them and then ambush them.
As i said earlier, you strongly oppose Saddam and his regime and for you as long as he is gone then its victory...the only thing is, while you're celebrating him being brought to justice, 4.5 million Iraqis are homeless, hundreds of thousands killed and injured...but for you its just a price of war that has to be paid...trust me, if you and your family were the ones paying that price, you would have different things to say. Good luck buddy and all the best.
I think iraqicaptain1 pretty much ended all discussion of this.
If it were your family that was split up, separated and scattered throughout the world due to the violence and instability that the American invasion caused, it wouldn't matter who was the enemy.
To paraphrase Yossarian:
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on."
That's the real reality. No amount of lofty Western rhetoric will change that either.
See, I don't buy into this notion that the american invasion caused instability, I'd rather blame the people actually causing the instability; since they're doing it purposely; namely those sabotaging, assassinating, mass murdering and etc.
Now's a great time to be a terrorist, if I went to Baghdad and blew myself up among civilians and said it was because I think Shia's are infidels, you'd blame George W. Bush.
A) perhaps you should check polls of Iraqis soon after the invasion when there was popular support. The support for the invasion expectedly diminshed over time as sectarian violence grew after the 2005 elections.
B) What religious history and climate is conductive to democracy?
C) Saddam Hussein was a threat to the U.S., and others. He explicitely supported jihadists groups whose aims were to attack American interests, and where you find american interests, you also find american citizens.
A) I love this reasoning. "It was so popular before reality kicked in!"
B) A one where fanatical bands of insane Muslims aren't roving around the Middle East killing and executing people who try to start a democracy, that's what.
C) Pakistan has been funding jihadist and anti-Indian groups for decades, and we're trying to do what we can to appease them, including writing them a hundred-million dollar check with no strings attached.
A) It was popular before terrorists managed to do what they sought to do and sapped the support for the cause by making life absolute hell for Iraqis. It's a victory which you unwittingly cheer on, while I support reversing it.
B)I can't think of a better reason to lend the people of the mid-east our support if that be the case. What happened to F33bs, the humanitarian?
C)Pakistan has lost more soldiers fighting Taliban than the U.S. has, something we fail to recognize.
B) Fine. Then YOU go grab a gun, buddy. The soldiers of my country who aren't obligated by the Constitution to play police around the world should come home, while all of the chickenhawks like yourself be forced to fight.
C) I wonder how many have died because of their support for terrorists groups and nationalists. Just because a country throws its poor people into a cause it only supports for financial reasons, doesn't make them noble.
Who do you think benefits from declaring Iraq a lost cause? To whom do you think will go that victory? Not the Iraqis, boy, or the U.S., it will go to some of the worst thugs and murderers in the world.
He's right here, supporting whatever fight for freedom and democracy anyone wants to take up. However he is against invading, occupying, destabilizing, and forcing a country into a contrived, shallow debasement of democracy that is in place right now.
Iraq is now a protectorate of the US, which is what the point of the invasion was all along.
I do not support that, sorry. Freedom should be achieved organically, not at gunpoint.
"Freedom should be achieved organically, not at gunpoint. "
And of the thousands of Iraqi candidates running for office, whose guns are pointing at them? This notion that democracy was forced upon Iraqis is ludicrous, as democracy relies on consent. Saddam's removal on the other hand was a decision made by the U.S., and there's no doubt his removal was popular.
What does calling it a protectorate achieve? U want to make the defense of sovereign democracy seem like an act of empire?
Physicial limitations, but there are capable men and women who choose to fight in my place. The least I can do is support them.
These wars suffered greater defeats not on the battlefield but in fora like this one. Propagandists undermining the cause, by using slogans like "blood for oil". So, I do my part in my own way, and don't besmirch those who fight in my stead.
I hardly think you'd be willing to be in the first landing boats on Omaha Beach, but aren't you glad there were men who were?
Iraq is a tragedy, not because of "big bad America," which is the caricature people like you love to foist on anti-war sentiment to cheapen it's otherwise relevant and pertinent criticisms.
But because it was done hap-hazardly, and with forged evidence, without the objective of gaining the Iraqi people's trust and support. It was done when Iraq was not even a threat, and when we were already bogged down with the failures in Afghanistan.
"Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it." - Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001
It is curious that many people talk of freedom, when the United States has a strong relationship with countries like Saudi Arabia. Why not criticize Saudi Arabia? What about Iran? Iraq was invaded by using the Euro to sell oil. The real reason was economic. It was not about security. And the worst thing is that I think United States will not change, even with President Obama. United States will continue invading countries continue to maintain its status as the first world economy.
I first watched this episode when it aired, and I bought it since on iTunes and I watch it all the time. It is my favorite This American Life episode. Now I stumbled on here and see that it is you!
Great job! I thought it was really cool, and you seem like a real nice person.
Wonderful! I SO wish I could show this to my elementary students. They need desperately to see this sort of representation of Iraqi people. Would need to do some bleeping, but maybe it would be worth it.
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LOL nice acting, first off no the people there arent the enemy for the most part. We are securing a foothold in a area of choas. I am leaving my family in 2 months to be in Baghdad for a year, for people who doubt what I am doing over there. First off you should to be talking to a girl instead of a guy, someone who would be hung if they stepped outside without a rag on thier head someone who was banned from going to school. IF you dont really like America Im sure Pakistan or Iran would love you.
Prior to us going into Iraq women had more freedoms. We put the Shi'ite majority in power. Look it up. Not to mention it's not a "rag" it's a hijab or a burka but WTF would I know it's not like I was over there for several years. I think you are talking out of your ass and don't know a damn thing about what is going on over there. READ. GO. LOOK. LISTEN. TRY IT.
The use of the rug "rag" told me all I need to know about what you are doing there. This is just an extension of the American imperial project. It is amazing how Americans (who just a week prior could tell you where Iraq was on a map) all of a sudden become Mid East experts.
According the English medical journal the Lancet, 6 or 7 hundred thousand people (mostly civilian) have been killed due to the invasion. I guess you have to destroy the country to save the country.
I think this video is really important in highlighting the ignorance of the American public, and how we can change that ignorance just by sitting down and asking questions. When the guy at the beginning asks, "are there fat Iraqis?" it sounds like a dumb question, but it points out that what people really want to know is, "are you guys like me?". and we don't get that kind of dialogue often enough, so thank you for posting this.
hi, i saw your video, and i was awestruck, really there are alot of misconceptions going on right here, i sent you a message with no reply....i hope u give me ur opinion about what i said in it.....
Define Freedom in Americans eyes : = freedom is how to invade a counrty and convince yourself and media that you made good thing and you are an angel came from the sky to free a people from thier freedom and peacefull life into freedom in USA way which is full of (Bombs,killing,tanks,marines,rockets every where)......Thank you Hayder for this you helped....wish you be togethar with your family again and all iraqi people back to home again because we miss the good people of iraq and old days
samer843 1 week ago
Big Like for video and Big Respect for you Haydar, we all hope to be back in Baghdad one ,,, yeah one day ,, When... hope soon !!!
allamytr 2 weeks ago
Thanks for posting this
LiberalJerseyman 1 month ago
@NorthCitySider
What are you talking about? Thee man who threw a shoe at Bush was send to prison! For what? Showing his hatered towards a mass murderer?
You call that freedom?
cbluver22 1 month ago
You sir have spoken what most of us (still living in Iraq) are thinking of and what we are feeling about this issue ... you have our total support and appreciation for this great effort ........and wish that you consider making more interviews or even go on TV.
many thanks
amonamarth8 2 months ago
Very moving.
fosterslover 2 months ago
"Why did it happen" Because Americans were blind with rage. & because of illogical men like that Marine in part two.
Friedstuffsable 2 months ago
What is Freedom? great question!!!
Is Freedom an American Copyright?
Do Americans really experience Freedom?
Can Americans respect other's Freedom?
RealProjectFreedom
fgr1111 2 months ago
How the hell is this video 3.5 years old, and it only has 50,000 views?
hsm543 2 months ago 2
so the fat ass man meant its ok to get slaughtered and shot but at least we can say our opinion what in the hell kind of bullshit is this
mustafa9785 2 months ago
So powerful.
HappyColouredMarbles 3 months ago
It breaks my heart to see history in repetition. Remember the Crusades? What has changed since then? Since the beginning of time the man with the bigger stick, who is coincidentally also the man with half the brain, bullies and oppresses the man with the smaller stick.
BlackXSunlight 6 months ago
Is the uploader of this video the actual man in the video? If it is than thanks for doing this. As an American I'm so discouraged by what my country now stands for in the eyes of the rest of the world. The section where the man sits down and tries to tell you what is good for Iraq is a prime example. Americans will preach about what should be done in any situation even if they have no real knowledge of that situation.
MrTinyTit 7 months ago
very interesting.. thanks 4 the effort
mesopotamiaspirit 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I hope peace and love prevail as well-it would be nice to see that in our lifetime.
MrOrlando189 9 months ago
@WaterJake Oh lol, you IDIOT. How many millions of ordinary people lost their property, health and lifes and how many were there politically repressed?
drgdrf 10 months ago
So, why is this guy crying on an ignored network instead of back in Iraq, rebuilding his country? He could be one of the founding fathers of the Iraq of the future and build it the way he thinks it should be. Go home, talk to your people and build what they want. You want a democracy? we'll help you build it! if you want a theocracy fine, but we may not be as receptive. You want a terrorist state we wont help, and you'll have to fight us. Bottom line you're not doing anything to help them here.
Velocinox 11 months ago
It did go from bad to worse, as he says, and the American government made countless mistakes, but at least now there is hope now. He mentions how people think of Saddam's time and they just stop there and won't move on. They're stuck. On the other hand, these types of people are stuck in the past as well and won't accept the reality or try to think of building a better future.
The major difference now: there's hope.
Naruto19892006 11 months ago
And in Saddam's time no one got their head chopped off, right?
Naruto19892006 11 months ago
@Naruto19892006 They did. The point is the country was relatively stable prior to our invasion. We catalyzed a civil war that has left 100s of thousands of Iraqis dead and if we hadn't invaded most of those human beings would still be alive. Saddam was bad but the war was much, much worse.
DeadlyMACD 10 months ago
@DeadlyMACD It was stable, but not safe. The difference b/w the violence before and after the war is that it was hidden back then, and now it's all over the news. I think that Saddam definitely needed to go, but of course the way that the US went in was just terrible. I don't think there was a clear plan even, and everyone turned on each other. The method was the problem. Even though there's violence now, we can say it's relatively stable as well. Like I said, now we have hope, unlike back then.
Naruto19892006 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
this guy; "I had personally relatives that were killed, I know life was not good." "Sadam was bad."
If you go back 70 years and read the NY Times or other International news outlets....one would see the same kind of rhetoric - anti-Amer...ican involvement of World War II. Surely 70 years later we can all agree that our involvement in World War II was the greatest decision.
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kkalantari 1 year ago
Thank you.You are a very brave person.
Notokayipromise 1 year ago
instead of asking him they are telling him and they were nerver have been in iraq! try to locate your country in the map ! im laughting loud at this video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SUPERIRAQIII 1 year ago
hahaha love how you put the dumb drunk military guys in... im in the US Army too but i just felt so embarrassed I had to turn it off... "take off your glasses so I know your not lying to me" Id say go fuck yourself are you a body language expert?, NO your drunk and I wanna talk to people that will remember this in the morning. Hope people dont think we are all like that.
liquidsilencer 1 year ago 6
@liquidsilencer Thanks for checking the video out buddy. I spent years around U.S. servicemen in Iraq and the states and have made close friendships with very intelligent individuals. So no generalization made by any mean. Hope all is well at your end.
iraqicaptain1 1 year ago 4
@iraqicaptain1 Haider. I'm teaching high school students about perceptions vs. truth, and what media has to do with it. This video proved valuable, as my students, living in a liberal bubble, could see that there are those who blindly hold on to banal patriotic rhetoric to blind themselves from the truth. I'm wondering though, did you speak to more people who knew what they were talking about, besides girl, Tori? Did This Am. Life represent your experience honestly?
Thanks.
glearnit 1 month ago
@liquidsilencer actully i think he is trained if you look at someones eyes and the person is lying they will usually look in a diffrent direction or there is something that they will do that will give it away.
903harman 3 months ago
I still can not believe how some american`s think that they need to correct the whole world,and they have no respect for countries that have been on the face of the Earth much,much more than they can even imagine.You are not the ones that are going to separate wrong from right,so stop trying already.....
karaja992 1 year ago
You have SO much grace and dignity. Thank you for this, haha.
fresusjeak1 1 year ago
it is war and occupation after all
وا أسفاه
maysaffar 1 year ago
In the first gulf war we made a promise to the people. If you rise up we will support you. What we did not mention was the secret deal we made with the Saudis in exchange for the use of their airbases that we wouldn't set foot in Baghdad. So people rose up and were slaughtered and our support was not there. We armed him, supported him and helped him to commit the atrocities we later used to justify the second war. Our leaders are cowards, driven by profit and they care not who suffers.
jacksawild 1 year ago
This short film was shown recently at the Amsterdam Pluk de Nacht Open Air Film Festival. I really enjoyed the film, it was very touching. Also, it was received very well by the (large!) audience.
julietdyer 1 year ago
Two things, one, he presents a very fascinating and instructional viewpoint. He encapsulates the tragedy of the war. The second is that one must remember that he only can represent himself. He cannot speak for others in Iraq such as the politically repressed, Kurds, etc.
WaterJake 1 year ago 4
@WaterJake You're absolutely right. I only represent my own view, not even that of my family as they may differ and definitely not that of the Kurds as you pointed. Though its important to remember that the Kurds are a minority, and in most countries you cant judge the public opinion based on that of the minority group(s).
iraqicaptain1 1 year ago
@iraqicaptain1 actually i dont think there is a country where you judge the majority by how the minority feels. :)
mbcbmbcbm 10 months ago
@iraqicaptain1
Well, what about the Shi'a Arabs of the South? The Marsh Arabs and others? They are also happy(mostly).
The Baghdad region and Al-Anbar have suffered tremendously but they are still a minority overall. But you still have freedom. Remember the guy who threw the shoe at Bush? To say that Saddam would have him tortured in mind bending ways is a severe understatement...
NorthCitySider 4 months ago
this guy can articulate some of the more subtle characteristics of this whole big thing,.. and he lets people speak and unequivocally listens. wish there were more americans like him
thoreauean 1 year ago 3
this guy can articulate some of the more subtle characteristics of this whole big thing,.. and he lets people speak and unequivocally listens. wish there were more americans like him
thoreauean 1 year ago
love this guy. anyone who can listen and articulate themselves as well as he can deserves some results
thoreauean 1 year ago
the marine guy on the beach may be drunk but drunk people always tell the truth my friend
BiggieBalls3 1 year ago
This video was posted almost two years ago... How in *the* hell does it only have 27,000 views? What a shame...
mrkinnc 1 year ago
This film has been very instructive for me personally. It's really great to get a point of view from someone who was there before and after we stepped in since it isn't being brought up by the media. I'm very ashamed of what we did and how we try to force our beliefs on other cultures. Thank you for showing this.
JulianaClare 1 year ago
I want to see this film. And the guys on the beach are an embarrassment.
Rodney92 1 year ago
@Rodney92
How was the man in the army an embarrassment? He had actually been to Iraq and knew the real story, that the people of Iraq are not our enemy. Looks like they may have actually been able to talk some sense into that idiotic marine.
B34N 1 year ago 3
It's relevant now and has been for YEARS (over two decades now?!). Kudos to this Iraqi kid for having the balls to approach the Southern public. Kudos to America for giving him the safety and right to do so.
Btw...to people who are (at least) semi effected, use 1/5 of their brains and at least 1/3 of their hearts, this will always be relevant;.
ChippinAround 1 year ago
i just think it's hilarious and terribly arrogant how americans are telling him, an iraqi, on the history of his country and what to do and what's right. if any foreigner ever did this an american, it would be totally unacceptable. why, as americans, do we feel we have the know all of every country when we have no idea?!
moonbrains 1 year ago
Those guys on the beach are drunk douche bags...
Naturallymee 1 year ago
Lolz at the fat guys questions! <3
Naturallymee 1 year ago
This is SOOOO SAD!!!
hop208 1 year ago
Britain during WWII was a hellhole too but it was free. In 20 years time this young man's trials and tribulations will be irrelevant.
thejobloshow 1 year ago
1- Britain was a hellhole because it declared war (on Germany) and not was because it was invaded. So Britain was in fact the decision maker, while Iraq and Iraqis had no say and were forced to deal with invading forces on their lands, which is so much different from suffering air strikes.
2- Britain received direct and intense support from the US, USSR and France. Meanwhile, Iraq was assaulted by over 35 armies.
iraqicaptain1 1 year ago
Furthermore, 3- Iraq has a more complex cultural, ethnic, sectarian and national structure which makes the challenge internal within its society and not external with a foreign force alone.
4- Today, Iraq has already lost more casualties than Britain did during WWII although its half the population of Britain in 1930s.
iraqicaptain1 1 year ago
You won't hear debate from me on that. The Iraq war was a spectacular screw up - but it was the leaders not the idea.
Hussein and his party had to be overthrown. Bombing pill factories and sanctions weren't good enough - war was the best option. Iraq has a chance to be real democracy now rather than go back to being a slave to a dictator. I'm sorry for the horror of war but history isn't.
thejobloshow 1 year ago
lmao, bullshit jobloshow, Britian during WW2 was the superpowe, lol@ hellhole
LBC213R20S 1 year ago
I just need to understand one thing only:
Why do people think that Iraqis are different? why do you think that Americans worth more than them? do Americans have extra organs or parts in their brains or something? and Iraqis lack it?
Iraq = first civilization on Earth (Mesopotamia!!)
satoofi93 2 years ago 26
@satoofi93 yeah, the media only talks @ American lives being lost, what @ hundreds of thousands of Iraqis murdered, families having to hide or be displaced, losing their livelihoods, being occupied, I mean this guy is incredibly patient with these stupid Americans. Iraq--belly button of the world, incredible history, beautiful people.
SeventhHeaven5655 2 years ago
@SeventhHeaven5655 "what @ hundreds of thousands of Iraqis murdered"
The most common estimates outside of mainstream media is about 1.3 million Iraqis murdered
Probesoul 2 years ago
You are right. The problem is so horrible because Iraqi lives don't seem to mean anything to US government, media, or people, while if even 1 of US soldiers die, it is on the news. Why should I feel bad for US soldiers when this has affected millions of Iraqis, and the cost in lives to them is not even counted?! They are human beings too, and most innocent Muslims.
SeventhHeaven5655 2 years ago
@satoofi93 I could have started the first civilization too if I had the help from the annunaki =P j/k
liquidsilencer 1 year ago
@liquidsilencer I'm pretty sure lizards are dumb. :P
satoofi93 1 year ago
@satoofi93 yes, yes we do
blondcuti277 2 weeks ago
@blondcuti277 Yes, yes you're trolling much. xD
satoofi93 2 weeks ago
First the Army guy was all hot shit like talking down to the guy, then he got all preachy on the marine guy. WTH?
gosciu555 2 years ago
If you did not miss with Sadam , Sadam will not miss with you .
cadeeands 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
i cant believe that those ignorant people are representing the mindset of every American on television.
cruhg 2 years ago
"That was heaven and this is hell."
"Yeah, but you weren't free."
I think the concept of freedom is lost on many. We need a law that makes people learn about freedom.
Joeybagadounuts08 2 years ago 2
Yeah thats like raping a girl then telling her, but wait before you weren't happy, I made you happy didn't I? Fricking indoctrination....
gosciu555 2 years ago 2
pretty far fetched analogy.
Joeybagadounuts08 2 years ago
Jeus H Christ!
6:26
So many dipshits in this country think like this. Sad to say my mom is one of them. "You weren't free!" Totally missing everything the guy just said.
Many people in this country just regurgitate the same old shit they were told in grade school, not knowing the meaning of any of it. To that guy, "Freedom" has no other meaning than "constitutional democracy".
This country is fucking doomed.
LCPStud 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Give IRAQ back!
The loss of ONE American soldier is a greater loss than all of IRAQ.
SomasTube 2 years ago
This was hilarious in the beginning, before the video mentioned that people began to "tell" stuff instead of "asking" things. But I guess they figured they could "tell" instead of "ask" because the booth just said "'Talk' to an Iraqi" But subjectively, there isn't much to say without being circular, up until you ask an Iraqi yourself. I guess it's about listening.
First seek to understand then to be understood.
PiscesPhishie 2 years ago
hahaha lol I live in Sweden and get almost the same questions all the time, (the guy who asks for woterpark was funny, old man with the money iraq owns, we can do the world to a woterpark): lol
lucito86 2 years ago
I'ma quote LBJ a lil bit but change it up "I will not send American boys 10,000 miles away to fight a war that little muslim boys should be doin themselves"
dblok9 2 years ago
Fabulous.. I subscribe to the This American Life podcast. Fascinating video, but 3:07-4:35 boils my blood.
BogolanHighway 2 years ago
Well, if you actually listen to the Army guy, instead of just listening to the swear words, he is saying, "listen my Marine friend, I HAVE BEEN TO IRAQ, and was in on the actual invasion, and I am here to tell you that the general population of Iraq and muslims in general are not our enemy."
He was just saying it all fucked up because he was drunk.
LCPStud 2 years ago 3
"i'm an army" lollllllll
yumsalad 2 years ago
That bald marine who went there is a brilliant guy, I as expecting him to take the same outlook compared to the "new" guy. It was Good.
OniRecordsNZ 2 years ago
Thank you for making this documentary. I really enjoyed watching this and it was a little informative. It would be nice though to see more of your responses given to people.
TheoryEvolution 2 years ago 13
Thanks for posting this publicly. Setting up a booth like that was brilliant and absolutely fascinating... You should expand on it!
mrkinnc 2 years ago 2
Thanks for posting the video. I am taking a class called the history of the middle east and hearing these stories give me an even more better visual understanding of what the course is about. Doesn't tell me everything, but it sure does help. Thanks.
sparkledust7788 2 years ago
i remeber an interview with this guy in it.
Amazing individual
judopathoftruth 2 years ago
Brilliant
ajeeb walla
this video sums up imho western attiudes.
judopathoftruth 2 years ago
This is brilliant. Brilliantly conceived and brilliantly executed. If there is more footage, please post it.
bapyou 2 years ago
It's from the Chicago Public Radio series "This American Life."
F33bs 2 years ago
No, I know it's from the radio program. (I've been listening to it for more than ten years.) My comment was meant to refer to the video footage showing the Iraqi guy interacting with people on the street; I wanted to know if there was any more of THAT footage and, if so, if it could be posted here. It was real interesting seeing this.
bapyou 2 years ago
Hi there. I saw this show only yesterday and I thought it was a very brave thing for you to do. I would have asked you what you think of the Iraqi Government now, such that it is. I heard this morning on NPR that your Prime Minister is in Washington. What does that mean to you and to your people in general? Thanks for your time. Lisa
LisaGroves 2 years ago
6:20-6:25
Re5Publica 2 years ago
Thank you. So compared to what we have been suffering since the US invasion, then what we had before was heaven.. Its not "Saddam's fascist republicr" that was heaven, if you notice i called it hell only seconds before, its the relative stability and sense of security, its the fact that we were living in our own homes like humans verses the 4.5 million homeless Iraqis today, its the women who had dignity and protection and are now selling their bodies in Syria and Dubai. Please watch 6:32-6:56
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
Dictators are good at law & order, that's what they've always been good at.
Right now, Iraq is going through a hellish transition, the majority want a peaceful, democratic country which respects the rights of its citizens, who is the greatest obstacle to this?
Blaming the US for everything doesn't cut it, I know the Arab world is not used to introspection, & I rarely see them be self-critical, but blaming the US for car bombers, instead of blaming car bombers for car bombers is the problem.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
Ya habibi its not about blame, its about responsibility...blaming criminals doesnt end crime, enforcing law is what does it
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
I support the Iraqi army in their struggle against the barbarism of islamists and baathists. Let them bring these people to justice, but stop confusing everyone about who the real enemy is.
The security situation in Iraq was actually better when the U.S. occupied it for the first 14 months. The bulk of the violence occured after the 2005 elections, and it has reached a low, but spiking ironically as U.S. troops leave the cities (apparently not fighting because of the"occupation").
Re5Publica 2 years ago
While i agree with some of the points you have raised, i think you have a strong opinion against the Baath regime (which is very understandable) and for you anything else is better...meanwhile there are real humans with reals lives, hopes and dreams being killed...whether Saddam kills your son, a US soldier does it or a terrorist, believe me...it hurts as bad. All i can say is if you think Iraq is in a much better shape now then move with your family there and message me with what you think
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
"and for you anything else is better"
That's not true, I don't consider the status quo to be good in Iraq, but I see it as temporary, if we had more support to fight those trying to reverse every good thing that has happened in Iraq so far, we'd move towards a stable and peaceful Iraq, but all I hear is people making excuses for terrorists while attributing everything that's wrong solely to the U.S., it's counter-productive, it's hurting the cause.
I had an Iraqi friend who visited last year.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
Saddam's fascist republic of fear was heaven?
Something I've notice is the inability to recognize that those "insurgents" want the worst for Iraqis, and we're the ones fighting them. People on the left, and people throughout the Muslim world refer to them as "freedom fighters" or a legitimate resistance. They want to destroy democracy in Iraq, and they want to enslave other Iraqis, and we are on the other side. It's not my side that says surrender to these people and let them have their way.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
I love the American Life, it's awesome!!
PancakeRemody 2 years ago
you know instead of running to the u.s. why don't you serve your country and help rebuild it.
gunnarmarine 2 years ago
i will....when its my country once again.
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
I was there 3 months ago and it is your country. If you want to make something of it you got to do your part. I don't know your story, maybe you are just showing people the truth but the real change happens over there. as I'm sure you know this.
gunnarmarine 2 years ago
I was there till 2007 trying to do just that...meanwhile i was kidnapped twice, shot and imprisoned...whether the change starts here or there, if dead i will not even have the chance. Sorry to say, that you being there 3 months ago only goes to prove that it is not yet my country, although im sure of your good intentions.
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
There are U.S. soldiers in Japan & South Korea, does a troop presence automatically mean you have no sovereignity? The U.S. is there under a U.N. mandate to protect the elected government of Iraq from being overthrown by the worst thugs & murderers, ones which supposedly kidnapped and shot you. I want the best possible outcome for Iraqis, & for that to happen, these thugs need to be fought, yes, or no?
Re5Publica 2 years ago
Did the egg come out of the chicken or the chicken came out of the egg? are the terrorists there because the US soldiers are there or soldiers are there cause terrorists are there?
Lets be reasonable in our comparisons, the US soldiers in Japan and South Korea are not conducting air strikes, search operations, foot patrols, cordon operations, arrests and killings...they are not even there to protect the governments from being overthrown, when you have that situation then yes, no sovereignty
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
"the US soldiers in Japan and South Korea are not conducting air strikes, search operations, foot patrols, cordon operations, arrests and killings"
Not now, you're right, since those countries r now stable and prosperous countries.
"are the terrorists there because the US soldiers are there or..."
Terrorists were there, but dormant. Documents found after the invasion reveal Saddam trained suicide operatives, he asked their volunteer forms to be filled out: "preferably in their own blood."
Re5Publica 2 years ago
where did the quote "preferably in their own blood" come from? can you please provide the source. Instead of talking about documents or allegations, lets talk about facts...can you point out one single suicide car bomb attack in Iraq before the US entered there country? hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, how can you or anyone even think of justifying that and using it as a price tag to say it was worth it?!
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
"Iraqi Perspectives Project, Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from
Captured Iraqi Documents, pg. 28" :
".. Division Commands should launch a
campaign among their members, supporters, and backers of the Party encouraging
them to volunteer in suicide operations, and have them write volunteer statements, preferably in their blood."
That was in 2001.
It also reveals terrorism committed at the behest of Saddam on NWOs in Kurdistan, which lead to "Doctors Without Borders" leaving the area
Re5Publica 2 years ago
"hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, how can you or anyone even think of justifying that and using it as a price tag to say it was worth it?!"
But this is the easiest argument to make against any war.... I assume you're not a pacifist. I assume you also realize that in every war civilians are sometimes killed.
Iraqi official government figures give around 100 000 civilian deaths, the majority of civilian deaths caused by suicide bombers, and death squads. I want those to stop.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
Iraqis have been killing each other for decades. The 80s and 90s were horrible for Iraqis. But after the liberation, I did not expect the 3arab jarab from places like al Salt, Jordan, to travel hundreds of miles to mass murder Iraqi Shia, in order to punish them for wanting the end of Saddam's regime.
Google "deranged sons of salt"
iraqimojo 2 years ago
"I assume you also realize that in every war civilians are sometimes killed."
Because the motivation of the Iraq War was to SAVE the Iraqi people. Killing thousands and displacing millions is hardly "liberating" someone.
"I want those to stop."
Too late. Maybe the US government should have anticipated that dilemma before it decided to wage preemptive war against a nation that posed no threat to America, and re-awakened a long standing monotheistic hatred.
F33bs 2 years ago
Aren't you aware that thousands of French civilians were killed by allied bombings to liberate them from Nazi tyranny?
Let me ask you, are Iraqis afraid to return to Iraq because of the U.S. troops presence, or because of terrorists and murderers? Are Iraqis afraid to go to markets because of U.S. troops? Are Iraqis afraid to vote because of U.S. troops? It does you well to know who the enemy is, and who is keeping Iraqis down and out.
You don't blame the enemy, but the people fighting them.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
"Let me ask you, are Iraqis afraid to return to Iraq because of the U.S. troops presence, or because of terrorists and murderers?"
I dispute the premise behind that question. Obviously it isn't that the American troops are randomly killing civilians, it's that the presence of US troops provided an impetus for terrorists to begin attacking them in the first place.
Avoiding the war would, therefore, have avoided those unnecessary casualties.
F33bs 2 years ago
"It does you well to know who the enemy is"
My only enemy is ignorance. In this case, the brash, politically motivated, stupid, irrelevant, unnecessary war in Iraq that has ruined the chances of democracy in Iraq by awakening religious tension and re-awakening a long standing colonial presence in the Middle East that has decided history there for centuries.
My enemies are people who serve their own petty, disgusting interests, that includes Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the Bush administration.
F33bs 2 years ago 2
And what do you think would've happened if the people rised up? What happened to the Kurds in that scenario? Gassed.
Yes, if you fight against something that others believe in, like baathism, like fascism, like theocracy, you'll have people who resist it.
The reason Hitler bombed Britain was because Britain declared war on Germany. They could've made peace with Herr Hitler, after all, fighting them only made them fight back!
Re5Publica 2 years ago
There is a clear and obvious difference between fighting a singular personality like Hitler, who was a megalomaniac and psychopath, and combating an insurgency, whose roots and interests in the region involve not only politics but religion as well.
There is a clear difference, and attempting to argue the point further would be ridiculous.
Ask yourself who installed the Ba'ath party and Saddam in the first place. The CIA funded a Hussein in an attempt to assassinate the leader at the time.
F33bs 2 years ago
Which disugsting interest was Bush pursuing? And an american defeat in Iraq would've served whose interest?
Was there a chance of democracy before the U.s. invasion? What chance was there? Please elaborate.
You're echoing the common anti-war mantra that there is no democracy in Iraq, there is already, it's your unwillingness to admit there has been a positive development out of your anti-american prejudice.
Iraqis have voted for their government for the first time in their history.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
"Which disugsting interest was Bush pursuing?"
Bush? No no. Bush had no real power in the White House. Dick Cheney, with his extensive oil and military industrial business history, the fact that all of the key players in the administration including Donald Rumsfeld, had shook Saddam Hussein's hand and had been active in the previous Gulf War, the fact that Cheney made a concerted attempt to cook and manufacture CIA intelligence that was used in the UN briefing by Colin Powell, etc.
F33bs 2 years ago
"What chance was there?"
I don't even care if there wasn't a chance. It's not the business of the United States to play police all over the world.
Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the United States must act as the international executor of justice and democracy.
It may have been perfectly legal to invade, but it was morally and ethically reprehensible which is what matters most.
If Iraq is a success, why do they want us to leave? Answer that please.
F33bs 2 years ago
"Aren't you aware that thousands of French civilians were killed by allied bombings to liberate them from Nazi tyranny?"
Did the French want us there? Yes.
Do the Iraqi people want us there? No.
Ap/GfK Poll, 2009:
""Do you favor or oppose the war in Iraq?""
Yes - 34%
No - 64%
F33bs 2 years ago
IPP, pg. 31:
(2000) "She goes on to list some of his other activities that would justify a pension for his family:
- Booby-trapped a car in front of the Kurdish Communist Party Headquarters.
- Detonated a car [bomb] during the convoy of Danielle Mitterrand
[wife of French President Francois Mitterrand] in Halsabajah City, which killed forty enemies.
- Poisoned opposition party members on IIS orders."
Re5Publica 2 years ago
So you want me to list the car bombs and US air strikes that killed civilians in Iraq since 2003? cause i fear there wont be enough hours in the day to do so. If we all compare ourselves to the devil, then we will all turn out to be angels. Its not a competition on who killed more Iraqis, its about holding people accountable on their actions...saddam was, but the Bush administration wasnt.
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
Saddam was brought to justice, only because of the Bush admin..
We don't have to be angels, it's ridiculous to suppose that we can be perfect, & that no civilians will be killed, especially in urban combat. Especially since the Fedayeen Saddam used to use ambulances to carry troops around, & used civilian cars as bombs. Insurgents would wave white flags pretending to be civilians in order to draw U.S. troops towards them and then ambush them.
Do you even know who your enemy is?
Re5Publica 2 years ago
As i said earlier, you strongly oppose Saddam and his regime and for you as long as he is gone then its victory...the only thing is, while you're celebrating him being brought to justice, 4.5 million Iraqis are homeless, hundreds of thousands killed and injured...but for you its just a price of war that has to be paid...trust me, if you and your family were the ones paying that price, you would have different things to say. Good luck buddy and all the best.
iraqicaptain1 2 years ago
"Do you even know who your enemy is"
I think iraqicaptain1 pretty much ended all discussion of this.
If it were your family that was split up, separated and scattered throughout the world due to the violence and instability that the American invasion caused, it wouldn't matter who was the enemy.
To paraphrase Yossarian:
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on."
That's the real reality. No amount of lofty Western rhetoric will change that either.
F33bs 2 years ago
See, I don't buy into this notion that the american invasion caused instability, I'd rather blame the people actually causing the instability; since they're doing it purposely; namely those sabotaging, assassinating, mass murdering and etc.
Now's a great time to be a terrorist, if I went to Baghdad and blew myself up among civilians and said it was because I think Shia's are infidels, you'd blame George W. Bush.
By what definition of justice does this apply?
Re5Publica 2 years ago
I wouldn't blame Bush (Cheney) for the actual murder, I would blame him (Cheney) for knowingly invading a country that:
A) Didn't want us there, and still don't, as polls and research overwhelmingly show.
B) Has a religious history and climate not conducive to democracy.
C) Didn't threaten the safety of America - which is the only reason to invade a country unless you have other motives.
F33bs 2 years ago
A) perhaps you should check polls of Iraqis soon after the invasion when there was popular support. The support for the invasion expectedly diminshed over time as sectarian violence grew after the 2005 elections.
B) What religious history and climate is conductive to democracy?
C) Saddam Hussein was a threat to the U.S., and others. He explicitely supported jihadists groups whose aims were to attack American interests, and where you find american interests, you also find american citizens.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
A) I love this reasoning. "It was so popular before reality kicked in!"
B) A one where fanatical bands of insane Muslims aren't roving around the Middle East killing and executing people who try to start a democracy, that's what.
C) Pakistan has been funding jihadist and anti-Indian groups for decades, and we're trying to do what we can to appease them, including writing them a hundred-million dollar check with no strings attached.
F33bs 2 years ago
A) It was popular before terrorists managed to do what they sought to do and sapped the support for the cause by making life absolute hell for Iraqis. It's a victory which you unwittingly cheer on, while I support reversing it.
B)I can't think of a better reason to lend the people of the mid-east our support if that be the case. What happened to F33bs, the humanitarian?
C)Pakistan has lost more soldiers fighting Taliban than the U.S. has, something we fail to recognize.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
A) Right. Reality.
B) Fine. Then YOU go grab a gun, buddy. The soldiers of my country who aren't obligated by the Constitution to play police around the world should come home, while all of the chickenhawks like yourself be forced to fight.
C) I wonder how many have died because of their support for terrorists groups and nationalists. Just because a country throws its poor people into a cause it only supports for financial reasons, doesn't make them noble.
F33bs 2 years ago 2
"It's a victory which you unwittingly cheer on"
Excuse me, I don't support the slaughter of innocents just because I'm against an unjustified and ridiculous war, and I resent the accusation.
F33bs 2 years ago
I did say unwittingly, didn't I?
Who do you think benefits from declaring Iraq a lost cause? To whom do you think will go that victory? Not the Iraqis, boy, or the U.S., it will go to some of the worst thugs and murderers in the world.
Justify that.
Re5Publica 2 years ago
"What happened to F33bs, the humanitarian?"
He's right here, supporting whatever fight for freedom and democracy anyone wants to take up. However he is against invading, occupying, destabilizing, and forcing a country into a contrived, shallow debasement of democracy that is in place right now.
Iraq is now a protectorate of the US, which is what the point of the invasion was all along.
I do not support that, sorry. Freedom should be achieved organically, not at gunpoint.
F33bs 2 years ago 3
"Freedom should be achieved organically, not at gunpoint. "
And of the thousands of Iraqi candidates running for office, whose guns are pointing at them? This notion that democracy was forced upon Iraqis is ludicrous, as democracy relies on consent. Saddam's removal on the other hand was a decision made by the U.S., and there's no doubt his removal was popular.
What does calling it a protectorate achieve? U want to make the defense of sovereign democracy seem like an act of empire?
Re5Publica 2 years ago
Even if Iraq was in a place where they could feasibly have a democracy, why is it our obligation to bear the brunt of it's cost?
You still have yet to give me ANY answer to that.
Upwards of 20 million people are uninsured in the States, with teachers getting fired, tuition going up, and Iraq about to cost us $1 trillion.
If YOU want to go give democracy to Iraq, YOU go fight it. How dare you insist the poor people of my country go fight your wars.
F33bs 2 years ago
As an aside: Have you ever served in the military?
If you haven't, why not enlist now?
F33bs 2 years ago
Physicial limitations, but there are capable men and women who choose to fight in my place. The least I can do is support them.
These wars suffered greater defeats not on the battlefield but in fora like this one. Propagandists undermining the cause, by using slogans like "blood for oil". So, I do my part in my own way, and don't besmirch those who fight in my stead.
I hardly think you'd be willing to be in the first landing boats on Omaha Beach, but aren't you glad there were men who were?
Re5Publica 2 years ago
Iraq is a tragedy, not because of "big bad America," which is the caricature people like you love to foist on anti-war sentiment to cheapen it's otherwise relevant and pertinent criticisms.
But because it was done hap-hazardly, and with forged evidence, without the objective of gaining the Iraqi people's trust and support. It was done when Iraq was not even a threat, and when we were already bogged down with the failures in Afghanistan.
Nothing you can say changes reality. I'm sorry.
F33bs 2 years ago
Comment removed
MetalManDan7 2 years ago
Tsk tsk.
TeetoPlastic 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
"Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it." - Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001
lookslikerain2000 2 years ago
Wow sux man looking at your house looks like you had a great life in iraq. Hope that things will get better in iraq for you and your people.
killerkohyar 2 years ago 4
excellent video and concept, thank you for doing this.
utahu 2 years ago
It is curious that many people talk of freedom, when the United States has a strong relationship with countries like Saudi Arabia. Why not criticize Saudi Arabia? What about Iran? Iraq was invaded by using the Euro to sell oil. The real reason was economic. It was not about security. And the worst thing is that I think United States will not change, even with President Obama. United States will continue invading countries continue to maintain its status as the first world economy.
Emmets 2 years ago
تسلم اخونا حيدر حمزة هذا الجهاد والله بلاش الجهاد الفكري
مو طرق الوهابيه التفجير والتكفير
ebrahimjoher 2 years ago
I first watched this episode when it aired, and I bought it since on iTunes and I watch it all the time. It is my favorite This American Life episode. Now I stumbled on here and see that it is you!
Great job! I thought it was really cool, and you seem like a real nice person.
gourmetlunch 2 years ago
It's A Good Idea And Good Thoughts, But The Peoples Thoughts Are Certainly Ah Interesting Lol.
Moonyiscool 2 years ago
عاشت ايدك.. يا رب يكثر من امثالك
lolilolipop11 2 years ago
Wonderful! I SO wish I could show this to my elementary students. They need desperately to see this sort of representation of Iraqi people. Would need to do some bleeping, but maybe it would be worth it.
maryemackay 3 years ago 5
fantastic
skip70 3 years ago
WOW! I am really really impressed by this, it's brilliant. This guy is so calm an restraint, absolutely admirable. And cute, too!
gundt 3 years ago 3
Hats off to you for doing this video I think it is very educational and we need more. I will be looking for more.
married2iraqi 3 years ago 2
nice job haider i like it..but its strange no1 asked about iraqi food lol
immigrantwhaup 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
LOL nice acting, first off no the people there arent the enemy for the most part. We are securing a foothold in a area of choas. I am leaving my family in 2 months to be in Baghdad for a year, for people who doubt what I am doing over there. First off you should to be talking to a girl instead of a guy, someone who would be hung if they stepped outside without a rag on thier head someone who was banned from going to school. IF you dont really like America Im sure Pakistan or Iran would love you.
theman6995 3 years ago
Good luck over in Baghdad.
iraqicaptain1 3 years ago
great video ya habibi
smoknem 2 years ago
Prior to us going into Iraq women had more freedoms. We put the Shi'ite majority in power. Look it up. Not to mention it's not a "rag" it's a hijab or a burka but WTF would I know it's not like I was over there for several years. I think you are talking out of your ass and don't know a damn thing about what is going on over there. READ. GO. LOOK. LISTEN. TRY IT.
CanklesInKorporated 3 years ago
The use of the rug "rag" told me all I need to know about what you are doing there. This is just an extension of the American imperial project. It is amazing how Americans (who just a week prior could tell you where Iraq was on a map) all of a sudden become Mid East experts.
According the English medical journal the Lancet, 6 or 7 hundred thousand people (mostly civilian) have been killed due to the invasion. I guess you have to destroy the country to save the country.
oberkorn8 3 years ago 4
I think this video is really important in highlighting the ignorance of the American public, and how we can change that ignorance just by sitting down and asking questions. When the guy at the beginning asks, "are there fat Iraqis?" it sounds like a dumb question, but it points out that what people really want to know is, "are you guys like me?". and we don't get that kind of dialogue often enough, so thank you for posting this.
slayerfaith87 3 years ago 5
hi, i saw your video, and i was awestruck, really there are alot of misconceptions going on right here, i sent you a message with no reply....i hope u give me ur opinion about what i said in it.....
have fun...
NassrAbbood 3 years ago
so awesome
mitchgoodbody 3 years ago 2
Thank you for posting this--it is important to hear from the Iraqi standpoint how their lives have changed.
Will this ever end?
NightsMuse 3 years ago 2
It will...like everything else. The question though is how will it end? and what will the total price be?
iraqicaptain1 3 years ago
Iraq First
hasan200710 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
fuckin douchabe! u have been in my country ha fuckin marines?! fuck u!
piece a shit! Americanz will never grow up!
omarnafoosi1989 3 years ago
this is so good.
littledropofcum 3 years ago
brilliant ducumentry!
cynerain 3 years ago 2
≈ GrEaT ≈
mahitajenny 3 years ago
What a moving video! Amazing.
aman2234 3 years ago 3