There are lots of people saying we’re illegally occupying Iraq these days. They should come over here and talk to the Iraqis pictured in this photo because these guys are the ones who will decide the future of Iraq along with millions of their fellow citizens.
Ultimately, it will be up to them, and not us Americans, what happens in the nation of Iraq. From what I can see, during my first two weeks into the maelstrom that this country is, many Iraqis understand only too well the choices their nation is facing for the first time.
Not everyone I’ve met here likes me. But this show on the world stage isn’t about me, it is about the citizens of Iraq deciding what sort of nation they want to build.
Look at the faces in the picture. Now take away the two American soldiers. The remaining faces are the faces of Iraq’s future for the next few decades.