Abstract

What I Didn't See in Iraq

The article presents the firsthand experience of Jim McGovern as part of a delegation of members of the United States Congress to Iraq. I was in Iraq as part of a delegation of eight members of Congress, led by House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. We spent most of our time in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which serves as coalition headquarters. Shortly before we traveled to Iraq we visited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who lamented the mistakes the United States has made post-invasion, including the total dissolution of all the Iraqi security forces. We met with several Iraqi women leaders, including members of the National Assembly, who told us that there was more electricity available in Iraq before the invasion than afterward. The insurgency uses our presence as an organizing tool to recruit members and weapons. The only honest and direct responses I got from any American in Iraq were from the soldiers. They told me they had been instructed by their superiors not to share any complaints with visitors.