Inside America’s ‘Colossal Blunder’: Scott Taylor Reports from Iraq

by , October 01, 2003

Scott Taylor is Canada’s top war reporter and publisher of Esprit de Corps, a monthly magazine devoted to the Canadian military. Over the past decade, he has penned numerous inside reports from the Balkans and Iraq – in the process often challenging the conventional wisdom and biases of mass media reports. Two of Scott’s books – Inat, and Diary of an Uncivil War – present the untold stories of the wars in Kosovo and Macedonia, based on his eyewitness experiences.

Scott has just returned from his third trip this year to Iraq. As usual, his down-to-earth testimony offers Antiwar.com readers a compelling alternative to the anaesthetized “official” version of events on the ground.

Chris Deliso: Scott, you’ve just returned from yet another sojourn into Iraq. We’re all abundantly aware that the situation is rough. Can you tell us, just how chaotic is it now in Iraq?

Scott Taylor: It is probably more dangerous now than at any time since US President Bush declared the war to be over. Although the looting has subsided, crime remains rampant, and the whole country is slowly slipping into a dangerous pattern of factional violence. The terror attacks and ambushes against US troops are almost completely random, so even when it seems quiet in a particular sector, you can never really let your guard down.

CD: American efforts to win hearts and minds have been stymied by factors like erratic electricity and crumbling services, which can radicalize normally docile urbanites. What is everyday life like for the Iraqis these days?

ST: There is still a curfew in place throughout Iraq which prohibits movement between 23:00 and 05:00 every night. This has meant a tremendous cultural change for the Iraqis who are used to taking afternoon naps in the heat of the day and then having late night meals in restaurants. The power situation remains rather erratic, with most households only receiving electricity about 4 hours a day. However, these blackouts have long been a part of the Iraqi daily routine, ever since the first Gulf War in 1991, so almost everyone now has access to a generator or some sort of backup system. The lack of regular utilities is probably more of a hardship for the foreigners, who aren’t used to having to rough it for a few hours every day.

Straight Talk with Hard Men

CD: Did you get a chance for any straight talk with the American soldiers? If so, can you comment on their morale, their physical condition, and their anticipations for the future?

ST: The American soldiers in Iraq are completely demoralized at this stage. While they complain about having to subsist on hard rations for the past 7 months, the biggest complaint was that they’ve had no R & R since being deployed in theatre.

“How long are my men supposed to go without sex and alcohol?” asked Staff Sergeant Spry, a 17 year veteran serving with the 173rd Airborne Brigade near Kirkuk. “If I don’t get some pussy soon, I’m going to marry a local girl – or else explode.”

CD: Them’s fightin’ words! What to do?

Read more by Christopher Deliso