In the Red Zone

On March 19, 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom began. Thanks to embedded reporters and video phones, the entire world watched as coalition forces wrestled control of Iraq from the iron grip of Saddam Hussein. Major combat operations were officially concluded on May 1, 2003.

On January 30, 2005, national elections were held in Iraq. Again the world watched as her citizens braved the threat of terror, waited in long lines and proudly dipped their fingers in ink as they voted. Nearly 60% of the Iraqi people cast ballots to elect a 275-member national assembly that will be responsible for selecting both a president and a constitutional committee.

In the 20 months between these two dates, the story of Iraq was largely untold. Certain events received airtime: the capture of Saddam and the abuses of Abu Ghraib were both heavily reported. The cease-fire and withdrawal from Fallujah as well as its subsequent recapture by coalition forces also made their way into our newspapers and 24-hour news networks.

From the outside looking in, Iraq appeared to be a nation with a multiple personality disorder. The media served up stories of electricity shortages, looting, torture and abuse, insurgency and quagmire. The coalition and individual soldiers (via blogs) conveyed reports of rebuilt hospitals and schools, restored infrastructure, dredged harbors, trained policemen and terrorists removed from the battlefield.

Yet the story that received little if any play is that of the day-to-day lives of the Iraqi people. Unheralded, they lived their lives through these months of anxiousness and uncertainty. Most of that story will never be known, but a glimpse is available thanks to In the Red Zone by Stephen Vincent.

The book is an account of Vincent's two solo expeditions through the chaos of an Iraq between governments. Instead of staying with the rest of the foreign journalists in the relative safety of the Green Zone, he spent his time in the cities and village of Iraq, interacting with the people.

There is content in here to shatter the preconceptions of any reader, regardless which political rung they swing from. He recounts events and stories that I did not want to hear; that did not line up with how I thought Iraq should be. But who am I to argue with how Iraq is.

The author does not whitewash anything. His diary relates progress and failures, triumphs and tragedies. He chooses to tell the whole truth, favoring neither the pro- or anti- war side. Instead, he records the voice of the people of Iraq, and his evident compassion for them is the only bias that shines through.

Article Author: King of Fools

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