Just about says it all, doesn't it?
Yesterday, I received another one of those whiny e-mail forwards from Bushland, in which a retired colonel vents his frustration at the media, which fails to cover all the "good news" and "good work" being done in Iraq, e.g. the construction of hospitals and schools. It's all bombings and violence, he complains, in an attempt to smear President Bush, because after all that's what all the media works on doing non-stop. I responded that I'm tired of guys like him who can't or won't see the forest for the trees. What are the chances that a)those wonderful new structures will still be standing once the US exits and b) there will be any qualified people to staff them? Minus a political foundation for post-Saddam Iraq, which is not apparent on the horizon, the future is going to be more of the same "bad news"--bombings, killings, kidnappings, revenge attacks...
We already know that over 4 million Iraqis, among whom are doctors, lawyers and professors, have already fled the chaos and settled elsewhere. Today, thanks to Damien Cave of the New York Times, we learn about the motto of the newly-minted graduates who would eventually take the place of their elders in hospitals, universities, schools and law offices. It's A-B-I, anywhere but Iraq!
"They started college just before or after the American invasion with dreams of new friends and parties, brilliant teachers and advanced degrees that would lead to stellar jobs, marriage and children. Success seemed well within their grasp.
Four years later, Iraq's college graduates are ending their studies shattered and eager to leave the country. In interviews with more than 30 students from seven universities, all but 4 said they hoped to flee Iraq immediately after receiving their degrees. Many said they did not expect the country to stabilize for at least a decade.
"I used to dream about getting a Ph.D., participating in international conferences, belonging to a team that discovered cures for diseases like AIDS, leaving my fingerprint on medicine," said Hasan Tariq Khaldoon, 24, a pharmacy student in Mosul, north of Baghdad. "Now, all these dreams have evaporated."
"Staying here," said Karar Alaa, 25, a medical student at Babel University, south of Baghdad, "is like committing suicide."
Doesn't that just say it all: staying in your home country is tantamount to committing suicide.
What a tragedy for these graduates, indeed for everyone in that hellhole.
We already know that over 4 million Iraqis, among whom are doctors, lawyers and professors, have already fled the chaos and settled elsewhere. Today, thanks to Damien Cave of the New York Times, we learn about the motto of the newly-minted graduates who would eventually take the place of their elders in hospitals, universities, schools and law offices. It's A-B-I, anywhere but Iraq!
"They started college just before or after the American invasion with dreams of new friends and parties, brilliant teachers and advanced degrees that would lead to stellar jobs, marriage and children. Success seemed well within their grasp.
Four years later, Iraq's college graduates are ending their studies shattered and eager to leave the country. In interviews with more than 30 students from seven universities, all but 4 said they hoped to flee Iraq immediately after receiving their degrees. Many said they did not expect the country to stabilize for at least a decade.
"I used to dream about getting a Ph.D., participating in international conferences, belonging to a team that discovered cures for diseases like AIDS, leaving my fingerprint on medicine," said Hasan Tariq Khaldoon, 24, a pharmacy student in Mosul, north of Baghdad. "Now, all these dreams have evaporated."
"Staying here," said Karar Alaa, 25, a medical student at Babel University, south of Baghdad, "is like committing suicide."
Doesn't that just say it all: staying in your home country is tantamount to committing suicide.
What a tragedy for these graduates, indeed for everyone in that hellhole.
posted by buckarooskidoo at 12:32 PM
1 Comments:
Gee, Bucky. U hope Bush doesn't try to bring democracy hare to the US.
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