I think you overestimate the number of rational humans- I think the number is probably very small, no matter what country you visit, and I also think many people in that part of the world do not see it as the dichotomy you do- in other words, you have framed the dichotomy you believe exists, rather than the myriad ways of seeing things that may actually exist. imo
As I said in my post, it seems to me that we are failing in our job of making sure that the Iraqis realize the superiority of our ideas. That they are should be self-evident, as I think someone in our history once wrote, and, if they are not, one of our first jobs should be to make sure that they are because I don't think anyone can dispute the notion that freedom and self-rule are better than any alternative.
We need to get them to discard the idea that there is an ulterior motive for everything, that we are there to steal their oil, that we intend to control their politics, etc., despite the fact that the reasons we are in Iraq are mostly self-serving. |
