January 31, 2008:
While one gets the
impression that most Iraqis hate American troops, that's only partially true.
The Sunni Arabs have the biggest reason to hate, but these days, the few Sunni
Arabs left in Iraq, are quite friendly with the U.S. soldiers and marines.
These Americans are the main thing that prevents the Shia Arab death squads
from resuming their mass murders. Kids in general like the American troops. The
U.S. soldiers and marines are, well, just like the movies. Except the super
soldiers are right in front of you. It took a while, but even the kids noticed
that the Americans were careful with their weapons. None of this firing in the
air, or at "anything that moves" stuff. The media concentrates on the few times
that American troops do hit civilians, but the average Iraqi has did the math
after a few years, and realized they were safer when around the Americans. The
kids also like the spontaneity and generosity of these Americans with guns. The
G.I.s and marines look intimidating as hell, but they will smile, and give you
candy. While some kids worked for the terrorists, they eventually figured out
they were on the losing side. Learning English has become popular with young
Iraqis, as has figuring out how to get into the United States.
It's not just the troops that influence
the kids. Stories of encounters with Arab-American soldiers and marines spread
far and fast. Arab-American civilians serving as translators also help spread
good will, by getting off to the side and just chatting with Iraqis about what
it's like living in America, and getting along with non-Moslem, non-Arab
Americans. All this fraternization is no accident. While the U.S. troops and
civilians are inclined to be nice to Iraqis, there are also deliberate efforts
to develop better relations between troops and civilians. This has been going
on for years, and has paid off in more cooperation, and telephoned tips about
terrorist activity.