About Baghdad

I just watched About Baghdad , an independent film by Sinan Antoon (exiled Iraqi writer) that did amazingly well at expressing the diverse opinions and reactions of the Iraqi people. There are three main points that stuck with me after the screening.

1. Iraqis want an Iraqi president that suffered in Iraq with everyone else, not an Iraqi president that has spent the past several years abroad.

2. There is an extreme dichotomy between those Iraqis who love the U.S. and see Americans as liberators and those who hate the U.S. and see Americans as oppressors.

3. Most Iraqis in the film, whether they supported the American presence in Iraq or not, felt that anything is better than Saddam. Death is better, deals with the devil are better, anyone helping them is better. However, they will not tolerate occupation from any power for long. In retrospect, these were very prophetic statements. The film was shot in 2003, shortly after the fall of Saddam. People were happy with that, but now there are no basic services, there is chaos, and there are rebellions.