Staying in school the hard way

CNN is running a piece about the brave Baghdad University students who weather bombs to attend school every day. Reporter Kyra Phillips sat in with the class, and her observations are worth comment:

His introduction surprised me: "This is Kyra Phillips with CNN and this is her crew. They do not work for the government, they are independent journalists. Please speak openly and honestly and don't be afraid to share your opinion. "

All I could think about was how sad it is that these Iraqis still don't know who they can trust. Here I was, seeking to hear their voices, seeking truth and debate. I never would have thought they might question our CNN credentials.

Perhaps a bit snarky, but maybe they remember the Saddam era.

Ms. Phillips posed the construct that Americans were beginning to compare Iraq to Vietnam and solicited reaction but the students really wanted to talk about the future:

All the students told me they are trying to believe in a better future. They have thought about what they want to do. Every student grabbed the microphone and with tremendous pride shouted out their dream job -- becoming a professor, Iraqi intelligence officer, a diplomat.

Our impact on Middle Eastern thought will be hard to judge until much time has passed. The conventional wisdom says we're fostering more terrorism, which is certainly true in the short term as the jihadis fight back, but it's an open question as to how Iraq's younger generation will come to view America down the road.

Of course a lot depends on whether we leave or stay. I think the younger crowd might view us more harshly if we leave, especially if things become more chaotic and bloody in the short-term. One of the goals of Operation Iraqi Freedom was to change hearts and minds about America within the bowels of the swamps, since other long-term strategies for decreasing terrorism had been proven to be failures by 9/11.

Just last year MSNBC did a story on Baghdad U and provided this quote:

“We scare the terrorists who do not want progress and development in this country,” the 25-year-old said. “We have had enough suffering.”

They seem to have their heads on their shoulders (for now). Their bravery should be a reminder to us all.