Iraq: Training in the Karradah District of Baghdad

Not surprisingly, last Wednesday's training in the Karradah district of Baghdad was the highlight of my week. The 15-minute drive from the IZ over the 14th of July Bridge that spans the Tigris River is short but intense. My PSD [personal security detail] largely consisted of Australian former special forces and one Dane.

My brief journey yielded the anticipated images of decayed infrastructure, blocked-off neighborhood streets, Iraqi military vehicles with mounted guns at intersections, and a great deal of uncollected garbage. At the same time, residents were moving about their business in significant numbers, stopping to gaze with little noticeable emotion as our small convoy careened past. I noted with regret the look of dejected resignation on the faces of drivers pulled to the side by police as we passed.

The purpose of my trip was to observe a joint conflict management seminar for two Baghdad districts, one Shia, the other largely Sunni. Both districts have experienced intensive intra and inter-communal violence. One thing that leaders from both communities I spoke to emphasized over and over: ordinary Sunni and Shia are not predisposed by either recent or past history to despise and fight one another. Rather, the violent ideologies of a few—and the proliferating physical barriers intended to protect ordinary citizens from them—threaten to make this a self-fulfilling reality. There remain both opportunity and hope that this need not be the endgame.

Photo: Standard bodyguard attire