In April 2003 in the height of the invasion I was working for a humanitarian agency in Kurdistan. A British colleague, probably having in the back of her mind the involvement of the British troops in the hostilities, wrote to me from London expressing empathy and concern about “the price Iraqi people are paying in the conflict.” But like many Iraqis hopelessly wishing a regime change for decades, I wrote back to her saying “no price was high for ousting the dictator!”

Now when I remember those words, I see how naïve I was then! I had no idea how high the price could be! Indeed, I believe no one thought that things could go this far wrong after the fall of the regime, not even those who planned the invasion! Although as a Kurd I am still happy that the dictator and his army have gone and the threat to Kurdistan has diminished greatly, yet the magnitude of suffering, chaos and destruction during the past four years has being so immense in Iraq that I wouldn’t wish such a regime change  for any country whatever the justifications might be!

March 2007

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