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A Look Inside Iraq--and Debate on the Horizon

by Alex :: Sunday February 5, 2006

On January 31, a young Thacher alumnus, Brian Bennett (a Time Magazine bureau chief), gave a speech about his experience as a journalist in Iraq. I had seen Mr. Bennett the day before in my political philosophy class.

It was a great experience to be able to ask questions about Iraq at such a personal level (literally sitting on his right hand side) and to receive such a thorough and thoughtful response. One of the questions I posed to Mr. Bennett was what he thought about the validity of Bremer’s economic and capitalistic resurgence. I was wondering if he had seen any progress in the redistribution of wealth from Hussein’s loyalists to the entrepreneurial middle class, i.e. small business springing up and capitalism taking over. Mr. Bennett responded that as a news correspondent, he has worked with many other local newspapers and magazines and that in the few years he was embedded in Iraq, he had seen an explosion of literary material. He explained to me that under the old regime, there were only a few periodicals, which incidentally, were fiercely controlled, censored, and boring. Now, however, one may buy an increasing multitude of newspapers and magazines at the newsstands. This seems to be a wonderful step forward for democracy.

After his speech to the school, Mr. Bennett offered a follow-up discussion in the Thacher Room. During this discussion, he elaborated on the duties of a journalist and also talked about what it means to remain truly objective in such a subjective world. He also told a fascinating story about a shortage of concrete in Iraq. Due to nearly limitless demand for concrete from U.S. defense contractors to build blast barriers and secure compounds, many Iraqis can’t afford to build any new buildings. This has stymied the Iraqis’ efforts to rebuild their own country and move on from the war. In Mr. Bennett’s opinion (and my own), it seems prudent to contract locally, as this cuts down on costs immensely and also helps get the Iraqis involved.

Speaking of journalism and debating current affairs, later this month I will be traveling to Utah with three other Thacher students to compete in the Wasatch World Championship Qualifier (for Public Speaking and Debate). Despite the grandiose title, I have never even debated outside the classroom, but nevertheless, I’ve managed to find my way onto the Thacher team. My political philosophy teacher, Mr. Shagam, suggested I participate, and it seemed like too good an opportunity to let fall. Despite my inexperience, I hope to do well on the impromptu events of the debate, and I hope to be minimally disadvantaged by my lack of experience when speaking off the cuff.

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