[Ugnet] A BRITISH DIPLOMATIC TALKS

[Edward Mulindwa]

Title: Message

From: Jack Stevens Alecho-oita   Subject: Fw: A British Diplomat talks     Subject: A British Diplomat talks Inside  America     A British diplomat, Rory Stewart, is hired by the American overlords in Iraq to administer a province and his book about his experiences titled ‘Occupational Hazards: my time governing in Iraq.’ is reviewed by Richard Beeston in the London Times 16th June 2006 One point is clear to me reading Stewart’s account, namely that the  re-discovered colonial attitude of the present USA administration is proving to be a disaster for the Third World. Worse is to come if they are to control the United Nations as suggested by both Blair and Bush recently, a policy alarmingly given in more detail by Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the UN .Bob     The Article:     DROP IN TO ANY OF Baghdad's shabby antique shops and among the unconvincing Babylonian relics and tatty carpets are some authentic remnants of a far more recent civilisation that settled briefly in Mesopotamia. Silver cigarette boxes, the odd Webley pistol and set of chunky handcuffs are typical items left behind from the short period of British rule, which many elder Iraqis still recall with mixed emotions. The British invaded during the First World War, fought a bloody campaign against the Turks and created modern Iraq out of three provinces of the Ottoman empire. During the occupation they fought a Shia Muslim uprising in the South, used the RAF to bomb the Kurds in the North and eventually installed a Sunni Muslim monarchy that lasted until Arab nationalists seized power in a bloody coup. Nobody, even in their most fanciful dreams, would have imagined that half a century after Britain surrendered its last big colonies, young political officers would be sent back to Iraq to rule a notoriously ungovernable comer of the former empire that we had so gratefully surrendered. There are no pith helmets or fly whisks in the modem imperial service and British colonials play only a supporting role to the Americans, whose legacy is prefabricated mobile homes, satellite television and cheeseburgers. But strip away modem technology and fast food and there is not much difference between the job that Rory Stewart was hired to do and that of more famous predecessors, such as T. E. Lawrence and St John Philby, nearly a century before. A part-time diplomat, adventurer and travel writer, Stewart was sent to run the province of Maysan, one of the most neglected areas of Iraq and home to the Marsh Arabs, a community brutally persecuted by Saddam Hussein. The vague orders from his detached America superiors in Baghdad were to help to create a modern, secular and democratic society with a free market and pro-Western outlook. As Stewart discovers very quickly on his arrival in the capital, Amara, Iraq does not work that way. The infrastructure has collapsed through neglect, war and looting, the US-led colonial government, the Coalition Provisional Authority is incompetent and wildly out of touch. Among the 850,000 people in his province real power lies with tribal leaders, who control the mafia, and militant Islamic groups, some backed by Iran, who have their own militias and openly challenge the authority of the infidels ruling them. "I had never believed that mankind, unless overawed by a strong government, would fall inevitably into violent chaos," he writes. "Societies were orderly, I thought, because human cultures were orderly. Written laws and the police played only a minor role. But Maysan made me reconsider. A secure and functioning government was not emerging of its own accord, and Iraqis continued to insist that only a police state could restore security." The middle classes, Christians and other minorities are driven out. Women are made to wear the veil by Muslim militants. Stewart battles to set up a functioning government, navigating the complex and ruthless world of Iraqi politics. While the story might be tragic, his recounting of it is both witty and perceptive. In one memorable exchange, he confronts angry demonstrators outside his office by inviting their leaders in for tea. After listening to their demands, he dismisses them, but not before one young leader begs him for a small cash donation to pay for a cure for a sexual ailment and drops his trousers to prove the seriousness of his affliction. Stewart give him $20. The protest leader smiles and leaves. The demonstration is over. Other encounters are less amusing and often involve kidnappings, murders and the start of the spiralling violence that has now engulfed Iraq. When Stewart is reassigned to Nasiriyah, one of his first crises is the abduction of a British businessman. After securing his release by using tribal contacts, Stewart is astounded to see the British and Italian military fighting over custody of the man so that they can claim credit for freeing him in a special forces operation. One of the great strengths of  Stewards account of his year of living dangerously is the dispassionate tone adoped in Occupational Hazards. Unlike almost all books on Iraq which inevitably fall into the pro or anti-war camp, he is rarely judgmental and there is none of the highly partisan reporting that has so clouded the reality of what is happening in the country. Stewart is proud of the modest successes he achieved, touched by the personal relationships that he made with Iraqis and even philosophical about the disastrous end to his tour of duty. When he is forced to abandon his post, after days under siege by mortar and rocket fire, one of the militia commanders responsible for the attack comes to say goodbye. He tells Stewart that he is much admired in the province and will be greatly missed. Stewart is understandably puzzled and asks why, if that is how he feels, was he trying to kill him only a few weeks before. "Ah, Seyyed Rory," the Iraqi replies, giving his friend a respectful title. "That was nothing personal."   END    The Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"             Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"

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