The Forever War Post 4

In Afghanistan, Filkins had enjoyed the protection that his reporter status gave him. He was able to talk to just about anyone he wanted to and gain insight into the lives of the people without a major threat to his well-being. In the beginning, Filkins enjoyed this same experience in Iraq. Filkins was able to take nightly runs around the city and talk with the guards. They would let him pass with laughter and smiles. However, as conditions in Iraq deteriorated even Filkins’s status as a reporter would not be able to save his life.

Filkins was easily identifiable as an American and as the Iraqi mindset became increasingly hostile towards America, people became increasingly aggressive towards Filkins. Filkins was one of the few Americans that would listen to the people, as the soldiers were prone to violence, and the people unburdened hateful comments about America. They saw Filkins as a representative of America and assumed that he embodied everything they hated about American occupation in their country. When Filkins went to one of the kebab stands that he had been to multiple times without any trouble, the other customers became silent and started to whisper about killing him. Filkins translator, Jaff, rescued him from many situations in which angry Iraqis intended to kill Filkins or take him to the insurgents. Truthfully, this did not surprise me as I read the threats against Filkins life. As a reporter in an unstable country he was bound to face dangers every day. It was especially dangerous because Filkins did not live and work inside the Green Zone, the heavily protected American base. What did surprise me was how long Filkins was able to survive in Iraq without any real instances of torture or attack. Part of this is due to the security team that Filkins was able to assemble. However, most of it was due to Filkins friendliness and Jaff’s skill as a translator.

Another focus of these chapters was the election and democracy that America was trying to promote in Iraq. Filkins attended a meeting in which some of the 7,400 candidates gave short speeches to legitimize their claim to a seat on the parliament. The area was surrounded by armed guards and many of the candidates did not speak up for fear of punishment. However, Filkins saw hope in the meeting. As Iraqi people began to speak up and ask questions of the candidates the meeting began to resemble a real democracy. On the day of the voting, Filkins was astonished at the number of people that braved the bombs of the insurgents to cast their ballot. As one voter said, “We all have to die… to die for this, well, at least I will be dying for something” (243). The Iraqi people saw hope for their future in these elections and wanted to take part in creating a better, safer country. Not all of them had hope for Americanized democracy, but they understood the strength in the power of the people and voted to let their own citizens have a voice.