Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Chicago Tribune
February 22, 2008 Suburban high school students met via teleconference with two military leaders in Iraq, and some left with changed attitudes
By Greg Canfield, Special to the Tribune
Naperville Central High School senior Joe Cotton entered the auditorium Thursday morning believing the U.S. should give up the war in Iraq. An hour later, he was convinced that troops should stay.
"I almost thought the war was a lost cause," Cotton said. "Now I realize the U.S. forces are doing good for the Iraqi people and we can't just abandon them."
Cotton's revelation came while participating in a video teleconference with Lt. Gen. James Dubik, U.S. commander of multinational security transition in Iraq, and Iraqi Lt. Gen. Nasier Abadi, vice chief of staff of the Iraqi joint forces. The military leaders were able to sit in Baghdad and answer questions about the war from Naperville Central and North military history students, courtesy of a live feed by the Army's Armed Forces Digital Video and Imagery Distribution Center.
Cotton was among several students in the audience of 275 who posed a question to the generals. He wanted to know how the U.S. forces are portrayed by the Iraqi media.
Abadi conceded that the image was not very favorable at the outset of the war -- particularly because of anti-American propaganda from border countries such as Iran -- but he said it has improved as insurgents have been weeded out and positive results are being achieved.
"Our people have recognized that America is not the devil," Abadi said.
"It's Al Qaeda who is the devil. They have seen what the American forces are doing for them -- providing services and building hospitals."
Abadi added that most Iraqis are very thankful for the U.S. having overthrown Saddam Hussein and are just starting to "learn how to live a life they have never seen before."
However, Dubik was quick to point out there are areas within Iraq, including sections in Baghdad, where insurgents remain very active.
"I don't want to give the impression things are better everywhere," he said. "There are parts of the country where progress has not been as robust as we would like, and there are groups that will stop at nothing to undo the security that is already in place."
When a student asked the generals how progress can be measured, they acknowledged various factors have to be considered.
Dubik said the most obvious is the decline in civilian deaths. He called it a "gruesome" tool to use, but explained a significant drop in attacks by insurgents and terrorists since last June is evidence the country is more secure.
Abadi noted that more Iraqis have also been willing to report where weapons are being stored and identify terrorists, which he considers critical to achieving long-term success.
"We don't need guns or tanks. What we need most is information," Abadi said.
Visraant Iyer said the generals' comments reaffirmed his opinion that there are no definitive answers about the war.
"It was made really clear from those with an inside view that everything does not always look 20-20," he said.
Katie Fricke said listening to the generals merely gave her a "greater respect for those fighting and what's going on behind the scenes."
U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), who co-sponsored legislation requiring President Bush to give updates every 30 days on the progress being made by Iraq's new government, attended the event and said she was impressed with the students.
"I think they had very thoughtful questions," she said. "Some of them even better than what I've heard from Congress."
February 22, 2008 Suburban high school students met via teleconference with two military leaders in Iraq, and some left with changed attitudes
By Greg Canfield, Special to the Tribune
Naperville Central High School senior Joe Cotton entered the auditorium Thursday morning believing the U.S. should give up the war in Iraq. An hour later, he was convinced that troops should stay.
"I almost thought the war was a lost cause," Cotton said. "Now I realize the U.S. forces are doing good for the Iraqi people and we can't just abandon them."
Cotton's revelation came while participating in a video teleconference with Lt. Gen. James Dubik, U.S. commander of multinational security transition in Iraq, and Iraqi Lt. Gen. Nasier Abadi, vice chief of staff of the Iraqi joint forces. The military leaders were able to sit in Baghdad and answer questions about the war from Naperville Central and North military history students, courtesy of a live feed by the Army's Armed Forces Digital Video and Imagery Distribution Center.
Cotton was among several students in the audience of 275 who posed a question to the generals. He wanted to know how the U.S. forces are portrayed by the Iraqi media.
Abadi conceded that the image was not very favorable at the outset of the war -- particularly because of anti-American propaganda from border countries such as Iran -- but he said it has improved as insurgents have been weeded out and positive results are being achieved.
"Our people have recognized that America is not the devil," Abadi said.
"It's Al Qaeda who is the devil. They have seen what the American forces are doing for them -- providing services and building hospitals."
Abadi added that most Iraqis are very thankful for the U.S. having overthrown Saddam Hussein and are just starting to "learn how to live a life they have never seen before."
However, Dubik was quick to point out there are areas within Iraq, including sections in Baghdad, where insurgents remain very active.
"I don't want to give the impression things are better everywhere," he said. "There are parts of the country where progress has not been as robust as we would like, and there are groups that will stop at nothing to undo the security that is already in place."
When a student asked the generals how progress can be measured, they acknowledged various factors have to be considered.
Dubik said the most obvious is the decline in civilian deaths. He called it a "gruesome" tool to use, but explained a significant drop in attacks by insurgents and terrorists since last June is evidence the country is more secure.
Abadi noted that more Iraqis have also been willing to report where weapons are being stored and identify terrorists, which he considers critical to achieving long-term success.
"We don't need guns or tanks. What we need most is information," Abadi said.
Visraant Iyer said the generals' comments reaffirmed his opinion that there are no definitive answers about the war.
"It was made really clear from those with an inside view that everything does not always look 20-20," he said.
Katie Fricke said listening to the generals merely gave her a "greater respect for those fighting and what's going on behind the scenes."
U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), who co-sponsored legislation requiring President Bush to give updates every 30 days on the progress being made by Iraq's new government, attended the event and said she was impressed with the students.
"I think they had very thoughtful questions," she said. "Some of them even better than what I've heard from Congress."