The Fall and Winter Months: Bombings, Oil Shortages, and a Failed Election

Divided up by months of the year Riverbend, an anonymous blogger in Iraq, covers her experiences living in Baghdad during the American occupation as a young woman. Covering her emotions on the 2004 American Presidential election, a life of fuel shortages despite living in an oil-rich nation, the killing of thousands of innocent civilians, and the continued repression of women as Islamic extremism grows, her passions on the situation are strong and clear, offering new insight into the war for many American readers.

The book starts with a brief contextual framework by James Ridgeway. He discusses the casualty count in Iraq a year and a half after President George W. Bush declares the end of the war and a “mission accomplished.” He discusses that attack that has been launched in the Sunni Triangle in Samarra, the continuing seige in Fallujah, the explosions in Baghdad, the attack by Al-Qaeda on the American Green Zone, and the growth of the Ba'athist insurgency. He additionally discusses the political context and ideologies of the United States at this time as well as a look into what supporters of President Bush were looking for in the 2004 election.

Riverbend starts her blog on October 3rd, 2004: She discusses her frustrations as she watches corpses pile up and bodies being pulled out from under rubble all while American military spokespersons and Iraqi leadership justify the attacks.

“What exactly are precision attacks?! How can you be precise in a city like Samarra or in the slums of Sadir City on the outskirts of Baghdad?...We got a first-hand view of America’s ‘smart weapons.’ They were smart enough to kill over 10,000 Iraqis in the first few months of the occupation.”

“Why is it ‘terrorism’ when foreigners set off bombs in London or Washington or New York and it’s a ‘liberation’ or ‘operation’ when foreigners bomb whole cities in Iraq? Are we that much less important?”

Wednesday, October 13th, 2004: Riverbend discusses the presence of valium in Iraqi homes during this time. As bombing intensified, families huddled together, and inevitable stress ensued, valium was the escape from anxiety for many. Additionally, drug trade has grown in Iraq in comparison to pre-war years. However, in the midst of war and terror, this is a much less immediate problem.

“It’s like discovering you have cancer while you’re fighting off a hungry alligator—you’ll worry about the disease later.”

Monday, October 25th, 2004: She writes an open letter to Americans concerning the upcoming 2004 election. Up until the 2000 elections, Riverbend says many Iraqis didn’t pay much attention to the American election process as it looked fairly similar each year. In the mind of Iraqis, however, the election of George W. Bush in 2000 meant much more for their country. They feared him and his policies toward their nation. As the upcoming potential re-election of Bush becomes more ominous, Riverbend begs for him not to be re-elected and states that America’s reputation of “freedom and justice” has been tarnished by President Bush.

“Some people associate the decision to go to war as a ‘strength.’ How strong do you need to be to commit thousands of your countrymen and women to death on foreign soil?...How strong do you need to be to give orders to bomb cities to rubble and use the most advanced military technology against a country with a weak army and crumbling infrastructure? You don’t need to be strong—you need to be mad.”

Monday, November 1st, 2004: Riverbend meets her first refugees from Fallujah, a nearby city being badly bombarded with bombs and missiles. Families were fleeing from the region with the things they could and many houses had already been destroyed. She meets a woman named Umm Ahmed who explains that her and her children had to be smuggled out of the city and were not allowed to leave via the main road due to American troops surrounding the city. Umm Ahmed buried her neighbors last week, her baby’s head was wrapped with a bandage after being hit on the way out, and her 14-year-old son and husband are still stuck in Fallujah.

“So Umm Ahmed is one of the terrorists who were driven from the city. Should her husband and son die, they will be leaders from Al-Qaeda or even relatives of Abu Mussab Al-Zarqawi himself…that’s the way they tell the story in America.”

Thursday, November 4th, 2004: She expresses her utter disappointment upon the news of the re-election of Bush and states, “To the red states: You deserve no better—I couldn’t wish worst on you if I tried. He represents you perfectly… and red really is your color. It’s the color of the blood of thousands of Iraqis and by the time this four-year catastrophe in the White House is over, thousands of Americans, likely.”

Wednesday, November 10th, 2004: A “State of Emergency” is declared in Allawi and a 10 p.m. curfew is instilled in Baghdad. She states that the bombings, however, feel like normal life at this point. Kids are kept home from school more and more often, phone lines in many areas have been cut off, Iraqi troops are bombing their own people, and the borders with Syria and Jordan have been closed.

Friday, November 12th, 2004: Explosions continue to grow and intensify. Riverbend spends most of the day running to the roof to figure out which direction the bombs are coming from and landing. Roads are blocked, people are advised to stay home from work, students stopped going to college, and the water and electricity have been cut off all day despite Eid celebration prep that many hope to partake in.

Saturday, November 13th, 2004: People in Fallujah are continuing to be murdered. No produce is entering the city, meaning they have little to eat, and the water has been shut off for days. People are forced to resort to drinking contaminated water which then leads to sickness and diarrhea. Corpses lie in the streets because everyone is scared to leave their home.

Sunday, December 14th, 2004: Electricity is dwindling in Baghdad and in surrounding cities. Riverbend only has access to electricity 2 to 4 hours each day. Fuel is scarce and, therefore, it is hard to power up their generator. People are standing in line to fill their cars with gas for hours.

“We’re an oil country and yet there isn’t enough gasoline to go around… The Americans have gasoline. The militias get gasoline.”

Gas cylinders for cooking are also scarce and dangerous. Riverbend says that she is doing most of her cooking on the kerosene heater.

“People are wondering how America and gang are going to implement democracy in all of this chaos when they can’t seem to get the gasoline flowing in a country that virtually swims in oil.”

Elections are coming up in Iraq, to the dismay of Riverbend. The lists, she says, are composed of the same people that are bombing the country. Additionally, Iraq borders have been closed to Iraqi men under the age of 50 as they might be “Jihadists.” Americans, Lebanese, Kuwaitis and other nationalities are being easily let in however. To Riverbend, this is a full contradiction.

The assault on Fallujah continues. Riverbend states, “It’s like we’ve turned into another Palestine.”

Saturday, December 18th, 2004: After three days of no electricity, Riverbend writes a Christmas wish list: gasoline, cylinder of gas for cooking, kerosene for heat, blast-proof windows, landmine detectors, running water, satellite phones, portable diesel generators and a flashlight.

“I won’t list ‘peace,’ ‘security’ and ‘freedom’—Christmas miracles are exclusive to Charles Dickens.”

“When Santa delivers please make sure he is wearing a bullet-proof vest and helmet. He should also politely ring the doorbell or knock, as a more subtle entry might bring him face to face with an AK-47.”