Archive for March, 2004:
Written on March 22nd, 2004 by stephengrey1no shouts
First published in the New Statesman, Monday 22nd March 2004
Across much of “liberated Iraq”, you can search in vain for irony. Despite
what conspiracy theorists may say about America’s designs over oil, most US
officials really do want to make a success of a free Iraq. They believe in
it with that kind of deep stare that makes you want to start fidgeting.
On completion of their time in Iraq, senior officials are presented with a
signed certificate from L Paul Bremer III, thanking them for bringing
democracy and freedom to the country. The Brits sometimes giggle at the back
of the room, murmuring “inshallah” (“God willing”). The near-Messianic
commitment extends to the US military. The other day, an Iraqi journalist
asked a military spokesman what should be said to children scared by
low-flying US helicopters. “Tell them it’s the sound of freedom,” he
replied, without batting an eyelid. (more…)
Written on March 8th, 2004 by stephengrey14 shouts
first published in New Statesman, Monday 8th March 2004
Stephen Grey argues that when governments are so feeble, unions so weak and corporations so powerful, we should welcome the “compensation culture”
Everyone has their favourite story of the American culture of compensation.
Mine came towards the end of last year from the Iowa court of appeals, which
upheld a jury’s award of $41,267 to a shopper, Judy Krenk, who slipped on a
grape at a supermarket checkout. The parties agreed that “a customer, other
than Krenk, dropped the grape while bagging groceries”, reported the Des
Moines Register. The judge, while noting that “the evidence in support of
Krenk’s claim is less than overwhelming”, said that supermarket employees
“should have known” there was a smashed grape on the floor.
Are we, too, developing a compensation culture? (more…)
Written on March 8th, 2004 by stephengrey1no shouts
first published in the New Statesman, Monday 8th March 2004
Observations on Iraq by Stephen Grey
The first sound was a low roar; then the windows began rattling. Families
woke up and looked outside to see the tanks, armoured cars, trucks and
bulldozers of the British army. It was 4am on 31 July 1972, and 20,000
troops were sweeping into the IRA’s “no-go zones”.
The launch of Operation Motorman brought an end to “Free Derry” in the
Bogside and to IRA control of parts of West Belfast. Twenty-two years later,
as insurgents cause havoc across northern Iraq, most recently with the
blasts in Karbala and Baghdad, US commanders are preparing for operations
similar to Operation Motorman in an attempt to defeat the resistance.
I have just returned from seven weeks in Iraq, and my impression from
talking to US military officers, resistance fighters and ordinary people in
the Sunni Triangle is that there are two distinct threats. Most Iraqi
resistance fighters will tolerate almost any attack on Americans and their
local “collaborators”. But they do not support the cells of mainly foreign
fighters who kill civilians indiscriminately with the kinds of attacks seen
on Tuesday. (more…)
