The American administration this week marked the six-month anniversary of the toppling of the former regime in Iraq. Nermeen Al-Mufti reports from Baghdad At a military base in New Hampshire in the United States, President Bush this week marked the six-month anniversary of the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime. He once again justified his illegal invasion of the country by calling Saddam a "madman", insisting that the "security of the American people" could not have been guaranteed as long as Saddam held the reins of power in Iraq. And as the Iraqi resistance also marked the six-month anniversary of Saddam's fall in their own way, Paul Bremer, the US civil administrator in Iraq, admitted that there would be bad days ahead. While the American forces continue their hunt for this "madman", Iraqi resistance fighters continue to target the occupying force. A suicide bomber detonated a car in a police station on 10 October in Sadr City killing 11 people and injuring more than 30, and two Iraqis were killed in clashes with American troops when members of the occupying forces tried to enter the offices of Shi'ite Cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr in Sadr City. The mood in Iraq is currently low. Khalil Mohamed, a 56-year-old Iraqi, maintains that the situation in Iraq six months after the fall of the regime is worse than before. He bears no allegiance to the former regime which, he said, was a criminal in nature; he simply wants to press home the point that the current situation is worse than pre- war conditions. "What did it do for us," he asked, "we lost everything, our dignity, our religion and our Arabic nationality. We lost our way of life, and for what?" He admits that 90 per cent of the current problems stem from the Ba'athist regime; it is impossible to eradicate 35 years of tyranny in only six months, he comments. "We are grateful to the US for liberating us," he continued, "but changes were felt in Afghanistan after only a couple of months. Here in Iraq, a high percentage of people are still jobless after six months of pumping our oil, and everything is still incredibly expensive." And when it comes to the resistance, Mohamed maintains that "as long as there is an occupation force, there must be resistance, regardless of how many Iraqi people are killed in the process of targeting American soldiers." Yet he remains doubtful that the resistance can bring about any real change. Bashir Hadi, a civil engineer, also agrees that "some things changed for the worse, like the security situation, for instance. Security is the key to the whole thing." Many aspects of private and public life, he said, have changed due to lack of security. But he also sees many positive aspects to the regime change, such as freedom of expression. "America managed to win the war and occupy the country," he said, "but they failed to achieve stability and security. These resistance fighters are not fighting because they love Saddam, they are fighting because they love their country." Ghassan Ali, a 31-year-old former captain in the Iraqi army maintains that the lack of security is proof that the Americans have failed. "But not all violence is directed against the Americans," he explained. "Many people are using the opportunity to settle their own accounts. A lot of high-ranking Ba'athists have been attacked and killed. The problem is not with the Americans; the problem lies with the fact that we Iraqis are not united." Sally Faik Al-Samarraie, an electronics engineer, agrees that most of the changes since the war have been for the worse. "I think we need a lot of time to sort out our problems," she said, "and I think the Americans decided to invade because it was in their own interest, in the interest of the Israelis, as well as for the oil." While admitting that Saddam Hussein was a criminal and a dictator, she does not think this was reason enough for invading her country. "We are being occupied and we must resist," commented Ra'ad Ali, saying also that the resistance movement is simply providing the occupying forces with even more reasons to stay. And the scene in the Baghdad of today provides an insight into the events of the past six months: the smoke of war is still discernible; burnt and destroyed buildings can be seen in every district; fear of attack has caused the Americans to turn the city into an open-air prison; the city is strewn with barbed-wire fences and checkpoints; dozens of Iraqis have been killed by American bullets; Iraqi families have been given neither apologies nor compensation for their losses; and according to official sources, 60 per cent of the workforce is currently unemployed. Hundreds of the educated elite, doctors and university professors, have already left the country and for the first time in Iraqi history, hundreds of children are now living on the streets. The Iraqi people feel isolated from the governing council, which made the decision without the consent of the general public to designate 9 April as Iraqi national day. This decision was widely criticised. Asma Mahmoud, a young teacher, said that "the whole world knows that this particular day marks the day of our occupation. The governing council does not represent the Iraqi people; they can't even agree among themselves," she commented, referring to the fact that the council has not yet appointed a single council head, preferring instead to rotate the position between nine council members. "Each council head remains in power for only a month. What can be achieved in a month?" she asked. And so, after six months of occupation, the promises by the Bush administration to provide a better life for the Iraqi people have been all but forgotten. The Iraqis are now more concerned with their struggle for survival.
