WHO’S IN CHARGE?
Reuters reports that some Iraqis are frustrated with the state of anarchy in which they find themselves. This is hardly surprising and, indeed, to be expected.
States in transition always experience frustration that comes from not knowing what comes next. Order, even a wretched one under totalitarian rule, creates a certain comfort zone that is destroyed by change. Virtually every country that went from colonialism to independence went through this, as did the Russians and Eastern Europeans after the Cold War.
Moreover, there is nothing in the article which provides any sense of scope. What percentage of Iraqis feel this way? How deep is their frustration? Most of the time, “many” is a clever rhetorical device meaning “at least three” and virtually always employed when those views happen to coincide with those of the writer. That is, the piece–while likely reporting actual feelings legitimately felt by a number of Iraqis–is really a thinly-veiled op-ed.
Look at it this way – it shows that ours is not the only nation with a bunch of vocal four-year-olds screaming that they want ice cream and they want it NOW, no waiting for a drive to the store.
—