Today's Iraq conference in Stockholm: A scandal

T F F PeaceTips

show details May 29 (1 day ago)

May 29, 2008

Lund, Sweden

Ten days ago TFF's Board sent you an Open Letter adressed to the UN Secretary-General, Iraq's Prime Minister and Sweden's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

Read it here

http://www.transnational.org/Area_MiddleEast/2008/TFFBoard_IraqCompStockholm.html

Regrettably, our concern therein has been confirmed today.

The conference is broadcast on Swedish Television. I've watched it and write to you while it happens. Here some scattered observations:

Opening speeces by Iraq's PM and Dep PM which are pure PR speeches well suited for the upcoming elections. "A new chapter" or "the New Iraq" is repeated monotonously, Iraq is almost at peace, security is so much better, most problems solved, people largely reconciled and the country is ready for integration in the global economy. (They speak more than twice the time allotted and the program is derailed).

Apart from a lunch break that also lasts too long, the rest of the day consists of foreign ministers from around the world reading written speeches of 3 minutes. Standard ingrediences: 1) Thank you to Sweden for hosting this, 2) We welcome the good news from Iraq, 3) My country has done so much for Iraq (even Denmark, an occupying country forgot the war and destruction), 4) There are still a few problems, and 5) We will help Iraq in the future. Thank you!

After a few speeches - a yawning void.

It's as uniform as the dress code in the conference hall of 99% men. It's is predictable and intellectually poor. It lacks humanism, creativity and empathy with anyone outside the Green Zone in Iraq. Women and children in Iraq are hardly mentioned.

In the lunch break, Swedish Television broadcasts another "peace" discussion where actor Sharon Stone speaks about what peace is. It's pretty basic instincts such as "peace is the person next to you" and similar jewels of banality.

Is there any field in the modern world so devoid of basic knowledge, intellectualism, and critical thinking? Is there any better illustration of conflict illiteracy than the Iraq war?

How on earth is the world ever going to be a better place if this is the best the world's foreign ministers can present to us and media willingly broadcast without a question - on one of the most serious problem areas in the world?

Whatever the answers, this PR event hosted by Sweden and the United Nations for the repair of the consequences of the unmentioned U.S. policies in Iraq is a seminal disgrace to the Iraqi people. And to the very idea of peace and reconciliation.

Salaam!

Jan Oberg