تحية من بغداد!
Greetings from Baghdad!I’ve been contemplating for a while about where to start with my experiences here in Iraq. I’ve promised so many people I would explain things in better detail – I’ve just been so incredibly busy since the day I arrived, that I haven’t had a chance to even think about it all.
For starters, let me explain what I’ve been-slash-will be doing out here. I am the reporting policy analyst for the largest USAID funded project in the world. It’s called the Local Governance Program. We were established out here to help implement the 2008 Provincial Powers Act, or Law 21, under the new Iraqi government.
I’ll be careful while explaining this in American terms, but for it to make sense, I’ll try to illustrate it as best I can.
Historically, Iraq has been governed entirely at the “federal” level. Meaning, Iraq has essentially only really had a central government. They operate with Ministries in each province (or state – in the America example) to hand out funding. The PPA attempts to dole out the power. The law calls for the election of governors for each province, as well as a Provincial Council.
Unfortunately, that’s almost all it does.
At this point in time, these elected officials essentially still have no power. They do not have the power to raise funds. They do not have the power to enact laws in their regions. They do not have the power to really affect change.
Yet.
Our mission here is to help provide technical assistance to the Iraqi leaders to help them determine what the PPA and other laws will allow them to do. We are attempting to break down the structure that existed under Saddam Hussein and the Ba’athist regime – to hopefully give the individual Iraqi, who varies just as much as any American, the ability to have a voice in the place where they live.
This is obviously easier said than done, but we are making progress and I feel like I actually get to be a part of something so much bigger than me. I originally came out here as an assistant to an incredible writer, Samer Badawi, but about the time I got here, things changed. Samer decided to take a position out in Afghanistan, and now I’m the only one working in the reporting department. After only being here for a couple weeks, I’m left with a lot of responsibility. But I feel pretty prepared. And because this work is so meaningful, I am so excited about getting to do it.
Now, you may ask, what’s it like in Baghdad?
Well I live on a compound inside the International Zone (IZ). RTI, the USAID contractor I work for, built a compound on the palace grounds of Uday Hussein, Saddam’s eldest son. The palace itself was demolished after the first surge in Baghdad. The palace was used as a bunker site, one of many, and was therefore one of the first buildings to be bombed by Coalition Forces. Its pretty cool though. Our offices are built inside his garage and front gate. He had an underground parking garage too where he kept hundreds of expensive luxury and classic vehicles. They’ve since buried the entrances and flooded it, but there are lots of rumors that many of these cars were left down there.
Uday was a pretty disgusting human being – he had a zoo (the space where our bungalows are now built) where he also kept tigers and lions. One of the lion cages is still up, next to the zoo keeper’s house, where we play pool, watch tv, and play poker. He used to pick beautiful women off the street, rape them, and then feed them to his lions and tigers. He was really brutal to Iraqi athletes, too. He was the head of the Olympic committee in Iraq … let’s just say he did really awful things.
They also have this pool, once a playground for Uday, that I go to often that is BEAUTIFUL. It’s unfortunate that it has such a disgusting former owner, but Saddam built it to help Uday recuperate after an attempt on his life left him crippled. Anyway, its pretty awesome.
The IZ is different than any other part of Iraq. It is a more secure zone, and where most government offices are. Many of Saddam’s Baghdad palaces are here, including Al-Salam, where Camp Prosperity is. I’m not allowed off our compound, even in the IZ, without another person. I can’t leave the IZ without an armed security detail. Both precautions are very good. Once I was coming back from a lunch at Camp Prosperity and the security guard pulled my head out the window to look at my badge and told me how beautiful I was. It was sort of scary. Fortunately, I had people with me.
I’ve gone to the US Embassy here a few times. It looks like a prison. It’s the largest, most expensive embassy in the world. Its like its own little country in there. Kind of awesome, but kind of strange, too. I was going there a lot for meals, but its kind of a target for missiles, so we’re not encouraged to go there. We have our own place for food, with a bunch of Danish soldiers. Its much closer and that’s usually where we go. The food is very limited and gets REALLY old, but its better to be safe.
Everyone I work with has these great life stories – I feel like I learn so much from them. I’ve had incredible opportunities to talk about the gospel here, too. We interact with many local Iraqi’s and its great to hear their perspective on religion and politics and culture and faith. I admire them so much and all the things they have been through. I want to write more on that later, but I just admire this people, very much. I love the fact that we can learn about each other’s lives and each other’s beliefs without anyone getting offended. I can pray over my meals and reference prophets and scripture and not get funny looks. It’s a really good place to be.
As far as the looks of Baghdad, it looks like a war zone. Check points everywhere, t-walls, hummers, tanks, machine guns, razor wire – you name it. Signs toppled on their sides, litter, mangy dogs… and the only people you really see are the military, mostly Iraqi, but some from Uganda, El Salvador, Peru, and, of course, the US. But Iraqi’s have taken control over the majority of the check points, so that’s predominately who you see.
I took a drive with my friend Muhannad the other day down to the Tigris. the TIGRIS. I seriously cant believe i live here.
I’m tired, I promise to write more, but this is what I have to say about my first 16 days in Iraq. More to come. I PROMISE.
سلام الله يكون معك
Peace of God be with you.
