‘This is General Petraeus’s baby’
About once a week, U.S. politicians, generals, and troops visit the Dora market in Iraq. The bustling commerce, in a relatively safe area, is proof that the surge is beginning to have an effect. After all, if there were no progress, a stroll through the market would be impossible.
There’s only one problem: it’s a scam. Sudarsan Raghavan exposes this charade as “a Potemkin village.” Staff Sgt. Josh Campbell called the market “General Petraeus’s baby,” not because the general is proud of its success, but because Dora is a showcase necessary to pull off the broader masquerade — if VIPs think the market is indicative of broader success, then they may give the administration more time and money to pursue a strategy that doesn’t work.
The U.S. military hands out $2,500 grants to shop owners to open or improve their businesses. The military has fixed windows and doors and even helped rebuild shops that had burned down, soldiers and others said.
“We helped them a lot. We gave them money, security, even the locks on their doors,” said a 36-year-old Iraqi interpreter at the outpost whom U.S. soldiers call Jimmy for security reasons. He asked that his real name not be used. “Everything we gave them. That’s why the violence has stopped. That’s why they cooperate with us.”
Some shopkeepers said they would not do business in the market without U.S. support. “The Americans are giving money, so they’re opening up stores,” said Falah Hassan Fadhil, 27, who sells cosmetics.
1st Lt. Jose Molina, who is in charge of monitoring and disbursing the grant money, said the U.S. military includes barely operating stores in its tally. “Although they sell dust, they are open for business,” said Molina, 35, from Dallas. “They intend to sell goods or they may just have a handful of goods. But they are still counted.”
Sgt. Campbell told Raghavan the market shouldn’t be considered an emblem of the surge’s success. “Personally, I think it’s a false representation,” Campbell said. “But what can I say? I’m just doing my job and don’t ask questions.”
The closer one looks at the charade, the worse it appears.
Security measures in the market are rigorous. Vehicles are not allowed inside for fear of car bombs. Customers are body-searched at checkpoints. Humvees constantly patrol the area, which is the sole focus of the 50 or so soldiers of Combat Outpost Gator.
But the Dora market has not regained its former cachet as one of southeastern Baghdad’s most vibrant commercial centers. Before the invasion, many of its stores stayed open past midnight. Today, they are open for just a few hours, and by noon the market is mostly deserted. The shopkeepers, who are mostly Sunni, said they rarely see customers from outside Dora because it is too dangerous to travel here.
“If the Americans were not here, we would close earlier, maybe one or two hours,” said shopkeeper Alaa Hussein Mahmoud, 32. “I’m always scared about the militias.”
Two days earlier, a squad of Iraqi police entered the market. Shoppers left and shopkeepers scurried to shutter their businesses. The police are widely said to be infiltrated by Shiite militias. “We were scared of them. Everybody ran away,” said Hussein Ali, 37, another shop owner.
Remember, according to the Bush administration (and Lieberman, McCain, & Co.), this market is a crown jewel. This market had 850 shops before we invaded, now it has 349, including many that only exist because the U.S. military props the stores up. The market is barely open, because customers and shop owners fear their own country’s security forces might kill them. I’d call this many things, but “success” isn’t one of them.
Kevin Drum asks the pertinent question:
With enough time, money, and manpower you can secure any single neighborhood. No argument there. But how many of these showcase neighborhoods are there? Visitors could come to Iraq by the planeload and all report back that they were individually impressed with what they saw, but how meaningful is this if it turns out they all saw the same few places?
Not meaningful at all, actually.
What a sick joke. Can’t the congresscritters see that they’re being played like idiots? I guess most of them don’t mind a little Potemkin action, but the Democrats ought to be smarter than to fall for this shit.
Too bad the College Republicans are so plagued with “health issues”, maybe they could go there and man some of the shops.
The plan was in place in Jan, 2001. Invade Iraq and establish a permanant base there. We have built 14 bases, the largest American embassy in the world in in Iraq; what makes anybody think they will ever leave? The congress and certainly the WH stopped listening to the people a long time ago. They work for big money, not the people.
The lawlessness of this administration makes Nixon look good. The media is mute, nobody can get off their backside to protest. Too much work, I guess.
I cannot find enough people who give a damn. Apathy is a dictator’s best friend. Its over, I see no hope for this nation. Nobody cares.
I’m going to leave the country. This will soon be an impossible place to live. By then, people might wake up, but it will be too late.
Racerx said: “What a sick joke. Can’t the congresscritters see that they’re being played like idiots? I guess most of them don’t mind a little Potemkin action, but the Democrats ought to be smarter than to fall for this shit.”
For which Mark Twain had the right answer way back in 1877:
“Consider a Congressman, then consider an idiot. Ah, but I repeat myself.”
The military has fixed windows and doors and even helped rebuild shops that had burned down, soldiers and others said.
Christ, farce doesn’t even begin to do justice to this layer of gold on the turd. What next? Making soldiers act as shop keepers and shoppers when the owners and real customers flee for good? I know! Just build an entire fake market in Saudi Arabia and take the Congressgoons there. Provided they get some five dollar rugs they won’t care.
Why don’t they just build a Hollywood set of a happy bustling market way out in the desert and bus in all the “locals” whenever a VIP needs a tour. It would be just as honest as what they are doing now in the Dora Market and would’t require such an over-commitment of troops who could be doing something more worthwhile elsewhere. Heck, they could even have stall named Crazy Ali’s Carpets that has the Lindsay Graham special of five rugs for five bucks. It would be a huge hit for souvenir-hunting Congressionals.
Eisenhower,s farewell address says it all . Welcome to Militaryindustrialstan
The rule of law and government by the people is dead . This aint no party, this aint no disco, this aint no fullin around . Better to die on your feet than live on your knees .
Foolin
Petraeus is going to come out of this as scorned and reviled as Bush himself. He’s no longer a military commander, just another enabler who wears a uniform instead of a suit.
Lindsey Graham is such a mealey-mouth fool’s fool. He and Lieberman and McCain just buy into whatever they are told. Either idiots easily fooled or they are complicit in the propaganda.
What I want to know is if we in the blogsphere are seeing this information, are any of our congress members seeing it. Part of Petraeus’s plan is to keep them in the dark. So how can we make our representatives aware of all the propaganda evolving out of the p.r. surge. If they don’t find out, if they are kept in the dark then they may vote very differently on continuing this fiasco.
Is this information appearing anywhere that our congress members might know about it?
I hope that our Congressmen and Senators will mention the Dora Market to Patraeus when he testifies later this month. If they don’t read blogs, surely someone on their staff does.
I would write to my Senators, but since they are Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe they don’t pay much attention to opinions like mine.
I keep defending Petraeus from the Nostradamus Syndrome. Everyone seems to know what he’s going to say in a couple of weeks. In fact, we don’t know. We interpret scraps of info from the White House and elsewhere, then we guess, and our guesses are often prejudgments.
I’ve said in the past that Petraeus’ job is to succeed if he can. Let’s remember that even before he took command he said that there was no military solution to Iraq, that it could only be political.
As far as what he says to congress, I’ll wait and see. I have a hunch that he will appear with an assessment heavily influenced by the White House. But, he may be smart enough to let the congressmen ask him tough questions, and simply answer them honestly, a response he may have had in mind for a long time. The Bushies would be furious, but the general can simply point out that he was asked, and couldn’t lie. (A startling thought for Bushies.)
I’m also guessing we may hear some lip service, but his testimony taken in whole, will be pretty realistic. In other words, he may say we can succeed — but it will take a draft.
Frankly, I think it’s unfair and irresponsible for the White House to saddle a soldier with passing judgment on a major decision made by the president himself. From the beginning, diplomacy was eliminated as an option regarding Iraq. It’s unprecedented for a general in the field to be asked to come home and publicly pass judgment of whether a war can be won. Douglas MacArthur was fired for doing something similar on his own.