I realize most of you are not going to change your minds about Iraq. You already know better than I do, even though you’ve never been here. But I have to try.
My friend and immediate boss, SSG James Sherrill, recently wrote an article that may interest environmentalists. Read the tale of Iraq’s marshlands, which were drained by Saddam to punish Iraq’s Marsh Arabs, and which are now being restored by the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, with help from the coalition.
Marsh Arabs have been living among the southern wetlands for thousands of years, making their homes from abundant reeds and mud. They sell the reeds, catch fish from long wooden boats and herd water-buffalo to sustain themselves.
Fed by the Tigres and Euphrates rivers, the giant wetlands once stretched for more than 6,200 square-miles.
When Saddam Hussein seized power in the early 1970s, he began ordering small sections of the wetland drained to make room for military factories, chemical plants and other industry.
The ancient marshes fell victim to the regime once again during the Iran-Iraq war, beginning in 1980, and were drained even further because of the land’s perceived tactical value.
The biggest impact on the marshes came at the conclusion of the Gulf War in 1991. Hussein gave the order to drain the marshes completely in retribution for the Shia uprising against the regime. The huge cost of draining the marshes put a burden on Iraq’s economy, and the environmental impact on the marshes’ eco-system was disastrous. Certain types of birds, fish and plants normally found in the marshes rapidly disappeared.
By 1996, the marshes were reduced to less than 10 percent of their pre-1991 size. More than 100,000 people who depended on the marshes to live were forced to relocate, and many migrated to neighboring Iran where a portion of the marshes were still intact.
Of course, everyone knows the coalition is only here for the oil, and the imperialism. As soon as the marshes are restored, we’re going to seize them and build subdivisions, Starbucks and other places where semi-literate Americans can gather to complain about the Bush administration. That is how democracy works. There’s no hope for Iraq. Except for this:
As the marshes begin to fill with water again, the displaced people are beginning to move back to their ancient homeland and way of life.
“We’re grateful to the people who are helping us,†said Abdul Dakhel, a Marsh Arab who lives in a tiny village north of Basra.
Let’s just give up. There is simply no hope for Iraq. It’s all been a colossal waste of time.