A Dozen Questions
For Dahr Jamail
By Dahr Jamail
&Douglas Herman
24 March, 2005
Strike-the-root.com
Recently
Dahr Jamail returned from Iraq. A working journalist with an uncanny
knack for allowing the average Iraqi to speak http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/
and be heard, for putting his reporter's ear to the ground and his finger
on the pulse of that country, Dahr agreed to answer a dozen questions
for STR.
First of all, thanks
and welcome safely home. I noticed from your website that you're back
in the Northwest now, speaking to groups in the Seattle area. What a
culture/weather shock that must be: the gentle rains, the snow-capped
mountains, the lush greens and refreshing blues . . . .
STR: Anyway,
as an Alaskan and a mountain climber, Dahr, a guy who scaled the highest
peak in North America, Mount McKinley (Denali) you probably know a thing
or two about fear. Were the daily dangers you faced in Iraq more terrifying
than, say, crossing a glacier or scaling a windswept 20,000-foot peak?
DJ: By far.
The human element is always more unpredictable than nature. The stress
and anxiety from working in Iraq is ongoing--it is every second of every
day. When mountaineering, I have some control over when I choose to
put myself in harm's way . . . and when to take a break. In Iraq, the
only power over that is choosing whether to go into the country or not.
STR: You
write compellingly about the average Iraqi, with far more sympathy than
most news reporters, and you take pictures. This seems to be war without
pictures, even though most US soldiers in the Persian Gulf seem to have
a digital camera. Has the mainstream media conspired to avoid putting
a human face on the tragedy of this war?
DJ: I think
they have. We see many examples of this--such as the big controversy
over showing the flag-draped coffins of fallen US soldiers. In fact,
the mainstream media has even referred to coffins as "transfer
tubes" at the request of the Pentagon. We have seen next to no
coverage of humanizing Iraqis, or even soldiers for that matter. When
we look at
how pervasive and consistent this pattern is, it seems hard to believe
it is not deliberate.
STR: Six
months ago, Naomi Klein drove around Baghdad http://www.harpers.org/BaghdadYearZero.html
. She said she saw almost no evidence of rebuilding.
After the capture of Baghdad, nearly two years ago, reporter Robert
Fisk stated in an interview, We claim that we want to preserve
the national heritage of the Iraqi people, and yet my own count of government
buildings burning in Baghdad before I left was 158, of which the only
buildings protected by the United States Army and the Marines were the
Ministry of Interior . . . and the Ministry of Oil." http://www.alternet.org/story/15729
Dahr, have you seen any major rebuilding efforts that American
taxpayers have been billed for? You see any derricks, bulldozers and
cranes--or at least maybe some Iraqis in hardhats?
DJ: No. None.
STR: You
travel about in Mufti , much as Lawrence of Arabia did. Have you ever
been accused of being a spy, had guns drawn on you? What was your most
terrifying encounter--when the back of your mind said you might be moments
away from losing your head?
DJ: There
have been several. Ironically, the only two times I've been fired upon
have both been by US soldiers. But the closest I think I've come to
death was when I was exiting Fallujah after my visit there last April
during the siege. Our bus began to travel down a road that was guarded
by a different group of mujahideen than those guarding the particular
road we were on, and we were immediately surrounded by angry fighters
with cocked guns aimed at us. Our bus was searched, and only because
we had some doctors from Fallujah with us were we allowed to go on our
way.
STR: : Iraqi
girl blogger and Baghdad resident Riverbend writes http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com
that the water and power in Baghdad seems to be cut off for long periods,
as a sort of collective punishment by the US or their Iraqi leaders,
which is a war crime, according to the Geneva Convention, by the way.
Is there any truth to what she writes?
DJ: Definitely
true. I have a friend who lives in a very pro-resistance area
of Baghdad, and every time there is fighting there, his power and water
are cut. If you need any photographic proof of Israeli military-style
collective punishments, visit the photo images on my website http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com
. They've been ongoing since nearly the beginning of the occupation.
STR: If you
could give American administrators in Iraq five suggestions--or even
three--to facilitate smoother relations, what would you suggest they
do, barring any suggestion to withdraw?
DJ: Re-open
all reconstruction contracts to re-bidding . . . giving all Iraqi companies
first rights to all jobs. Pull all US forces onto their bases and out
of the cities, and shift their focus towards patrolling the borders
of the country. Set a definite timetable for withdrawal.
STR: : The
average young American GI, often thousands of miles from home for the
first time: Is he fit for a role as a heavily armed, cop-on-the-beat
in a land where he can neither understand the language nor the customs?
Have you spoken to many US soldiers, and overall, what is their perspective,
since they are closest to the daily emotional and physical grind?
DJ: I have
spoken to quite a few soldiers, and morale is low. Most are in survival
mode, saying, "Well, I signed the dotted line, so I'm just doing
my job and trying to get the fuck out of here." Others are high
and abusing Iraqis and each other. They are put in the middle of a horrible
situation that is completely out of their control.
STR: General
Abizad said recently on PBS, The Newshour, that the US wants to build
"an Iraq for Iraqis." Was he being naive, and can this be
done without a timetable for complete US withdrawal?
DJ: He is
being racist. Iraq will build its own Iraq and doesn't want nor does
it need US help. The best analogy is the reconstruction--after the '91
Gulf War. Iraqis had their electricity back up after just a few months.
Here we are, nearly two years into the occupation, billions of US taxpayer
dollars have been allocated to contracts, and electricity remains far
below pre-war levels. Iraqis can take care of themselves, if they are
allowed to and given the chance. Iraq today is a military dictatorship.
STR: You
drive around a lot in Iraq and most Americans can identify with that.
And you pass gas lines snaking for miles (something we Americans have
a tough time identifying with). Do you think the average Iraqi would
prefer normalization of water, power, gas, and police state type security--as
before the war--for perpetual US occupation? Is that what American policymakers
hope to induce there?
DJ: Right
now Iraqis want security, jobs, electricity and the basics in life.
Those are first priority. Is this a design by American policy makers?
Good question.
STR: As a
much-admired war correspondent, one mostly unknown in the mainstream
media but renowned worldwide on the internet, would you suggest that
others take up the role you've assumed as an intrepid journalist? Care
to elaborate on the pros and cons for those who might hope to emulate
you?
DJ: The time
for independent media is upon us. The mainstream media in the US has
proven itself to be the propaganda machine that it is. I believe it's
worth the risk to get the information out. Imagine if there were hundreds
of indy journos running around Iraq . . . how would the military/government
respond to that? They would simply be unable to do so . . . repress
it, that is. Of course any journalist would have to have legitimate
press credentials, and ample funding, it isn't cheap to work in Iraq.
STR: Rumors
of war--Scot Ritter says an Israeli or US air strike on Iran is due
in June. Care to comment?
DJ: Mr. Ritter
is an extremely credible source. Most of what he's said about Iraq has
been true to this point. If we look at the propaganda spewing from the
White House regarding Iran--we seem to be on a similar track we were
for Iraq--the ratcheting up of the propaganda to justify an attack.
STR: What
do you miss most while over there in Iraq? Simple pleasures of any sort?
Please elaborate.
DJ: Peace
of mind. Being able to truly relax. The need to check out from time
to time is never fulfilled. I miss being able to go to a movie and just
forget about the world for a little while. I miss being able to walk
freely down the street and not worry about kidnappings or bombings.
Dahr Jamail's website
is at Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com
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