It is amazing to read the trash that the World Media says about the United States? They often say that America is just terrible. Why? Well part is that they just think it is trendy and news worthy to trash on America. The other tragic part about this is that they are listening to some of our own news.

Now let's talk about some of these rumors and dispel them, as the media says we miss handled Hurricane Katrina, Homeless and the Iraq War. Some say China is a better nation? You see the Homeless in America are under 500,000 which is one-third of one percent. China has tested bio weapons on Peasants in the South Eastern Provinces. We give food to the homeless we do not kill them.

Katrina was the worst Hurricane or natural disaster in US History. Considering it took 18-hours to pass, before tropical storm force winds moved on, we did well and with I-10 out and the level of damage after the levees broke we did well only the media said we did and the Mayor with his chocolate city comments whined.

General Worldly perception is an issue of a World Media hit on the US sponsored by France and Germany, who both had ties to Saddam and monies owed to them and they did not want to take the financial hit, also some well-known politicians were involved in that shady oil for foods deal.

The United States of America is the greatest single country ever created in the history of the human race, which is not saying much if you compare it to Red China, which degrades people, censors the Internet and sells WMD platforms to Iran who wants to blow Israel off the map. So don't give me any lip service.

The US is great and China, well china is waiting on an industrial revolution and civil worker revolt as it plans for war as a way out. It is still 50/50 if they can do it. Yes to answer your question yes, the United States of America is much better at addressing every G-damn issue you can bring up. Let's debate them one-by-one shall we. You cannot name a situation or problem in both China and the US, which the US is not dealing with better, more fairly and more efficiently. No one starves in the US. We have rights; we have everything here.

China is not even close and they have so far to come it is not even funny. Let's debate, you want to debate with me about my Country? Let's go. Anytime. This is the greatest nation in the History of the species and hell we are just getting started. China has had a 10,000-year head start. And that's all you got? That is the best you can do there? Sheesh? Pitiful and disgusting, and they talk about their long-term strategy? Oh BS, look in 10,000 where their strategy of an iron fist over their population has got them? Passed over by a little nation called the US in only 200 plus years? Huh?

Give me a break, of course to my credit my ancestry came over on the Mayflower and started it all? Who is the better man? Huh? Come on, bring me your debate, let's go? Bullshit walks everyone knows the US is great, constantly making itself better and no one can even keep up even with the 3000 Chinese spies trying to steal our innovations? They cannot even steal fast enough. Come debate with me, stop talking piece meal innuendo. Face facts. Consider this in 2006.

As long as the concept of a unified world government is an ideal, the essential feature of international politics will remain as the state of anarchy. The theories of” Security Dilemma” and “Balance of Power,” which result from that anarchy, are still playing important roles in international politics today.

The Term was coined by John H. Herz in his 1951 book Political Realism and Political Idealism. At the same time British historian Herbert Butterfield also described the same situation in his History and Human Conditions, but referred to it as the “absolute predicament and irreducible dilemma”

The core argument of the security dilemma is that, in the absence of a supranational authority that can enforce binding agreements, many of the steps pursued by states to bolster their security have the effect — often unintended and unforeseen — of making other states less secure. The anarchic nature of the international system imposes constraints on states’ behavior. Even if they can be certain that the current intentions of other states are benign, they can neither neglect the possibility that the others will become aggressive in the future nor credibly guarantee that they themselves will remain peaceful. But as each state seeks to be able to protect itself, it is likely to gain the ability to menace others. When confronted by this seeming threat, other states will react by acquiring arms and alliances of their own and will come to see the first state as hostile. In this way, the interaction between states generates strife rather than merely revealing or accentuating conflicts stemming from differences over goals. Although other motives such as greed, glory, and honor come into play, much of international politics is ultimately driven by fear. When the security is even rebuffed, then also the problem of security dilemma arises drastically, because of a common fear which exists between two nations about their own security concerns and one might feel insecure due to the conditions existing in time.

Now we can look into some of the case studies which may be existing in recent times.

IN IRAQ

Anyone following events in Iraq could be forgiven for thinking that we know relatively little about the dynamics of communal civil wars. In addition, anyone who remembers Bosnia and the rest of the “ugly nineties” has observed that the list of countries that have ripped themselves apart in communal civil wars seems to be growing. At the same time, resolving these conflicts is now seen as a deeply intractable problem. In almost every region we observe, communal civil wars are at or near the top of US policy agendas, most of all in Iraq, but also in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Darfur.

In fact, we have learned quite a lot about civil wars. Before the conflict in Bosnia, the conventional wisdom was that multi-communal states that had been torn apart by war should be put back together by power-sharing between communities or electoral reform. Such initiatives, it was reasoned, would compel politicians to appeal to all communities, not just their own, as well as to third party aid for reconstruction. Unfortunately, these approaches have rarely worked well.

The Iraqi Perspectives Project (IPP) review of captured Iraqi documents uncovered strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism. Despite their incompatible long-term goals, many terrorist movements and Saddam found a common enemy in the United States. At times these organizations worked together, trading access for capability. In the period after the 1991 Gulf War, the regime of Saddam Hussein supported a complex and increasingly disparate mix of pan-Arab revolutionary causes and emerging pan-Islamic radical movements.

A study found no “smoking gun” (i.e., direct connection) between Saddam’s Iraq and al Qaeda.

Saddam’s interest in, and support for, non-state actors was spread across a variety of revolutionary, liberation, nationalist, and Islamic terrorist organizations. Some in the regime recognized the potential high internal and external costs of maintaining relationships with radical Islamic groups, yet they concluded that in some cases, the benefits of association outweighed the risks. A review of available Iraqi documents indicated the following:

o The Iraqi regime was involved in regional and international terrorist operations prior to OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. The predominant targets of Iraqi state terror operations were Iraqi citizens, both inside and outside of Iraq.

o On occasion, the Iraqi intelligence services directly targeted the regime’s perceived enemies, including non-Iraqis. Non-Iraqi casualties often resulted from Iraqi sponsorship of non-governmental terrorist groups.

o Saddam’s regime often cooperated directly, albeit cautiously, with terrorist groups when they believed such groups could help advance Iraq’s long-term goals. The regime carefully recorded its connections to Palestinian terror organizations in numerous government memos. One such example documents Iraqi financial support to families of suicide bombers in Gaza and the West Bank.

o State sponsorship of terrorism became such a routine tool of state power that Iraq developed elaborate bureaucratic processes to monitor progress and accountability in the recruiting, training, and resourcing of terrorists. Examples include the regime’s development, construction, certification, and training for car bombs and suicide vests in 1999 and 2000.

IN IRAN

Since the fall of Mohammed Reza Shah in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has remained politically isolated from the United States and the West. After eight years of brutal war with Iraq, Iran has embarked on a major effort to rebuild its devastated military. A major element of its military reconstruction has been the acquisition of advanced weapons systems with strategic applications, such as long-range bombers, submarines, advanced underwater mines, and ballistic missiles. Iran is also suspected of pursuing the development and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction. Given Iran’s latent hostility towards the United States and its past willingness to engage in terrorism, these activities are a most serious concern.

One of the most significant such dilemmas is the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was the gravest threat to Iran’s security, followed by the Taliban government and its brand of Sunni extremism. The United States removed both threats. Iran should, therefore, feel that its security position has improved significantly. This in turn should reduce Iran’s perceived interest in acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities.

However, many Iranians see the same reality from an entirely different viewpoint. Instead of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iran now confronts on its western and eastern borders the most powerful military in the history of the world and a radical ideological government in Washington bent on overturning governments like Iran’s. The American presence surrounding Iran has not improved security but rather has put a dagger to Iran’s front and back. If ever a country needs nuclear weapons to deter a stronger adversary, it is Iran.

But perhaps the crucial dilemma for Iranian and American officials concerns the question of regime change. Iranian citizens essentially have voted for regime change several times and have not obtained it. The unelected Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamene’I, as well as the judiciary and security apparatus he controls, have prevented the elected president and parliament from directing the state. Unfortunately, these unelected men determine whether Iran will seek nuclear weapons, conduct terrorism, or recognize Israel’s right to exist. Few inside or out of Iran believe the US can or should remove this regime. Thus, if vital international problems need to be resolved now, there is little choice but to deal with the people who have power in Iran.

CONCLUSION

Thus this article has inspected into the newer issues regarding the concept of security dilemma. The author has tried to give an unbiased view regarding the Middle East. The position of Iraq and Iran are largely volatile and very sensitive. The author has tried his best to look at the position carefully so as to avoid giving any radically different or hurting views towards anyone.

The security dilemma is a popular concept with cognitive and international relations theorists, who regard war as essentially arising from failures of communication. Functionalist theorists affirm that the key to avoiding war is the avoidance of miscommunication through proper signaling.

Turkey had stopped the E Visa facility for the nationals of Iraq, after the ISIL militants kidnapped 46 Turkish nationals and three staff members from the Mosul consulate on the 11th June 2014, this was a day after the terrorist group ISIL took control of Iraq’s second largest city.

The 46 Turkish nationals who were held hostage by the ISIL were freed and brought back to Turkey on the 20th September 2014. Following the release of these 46 hostages, the Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Mr. Faruk Kaymakci said in a written statement on the 2nd Oct 2014, that the Iraqi nationals will again be able to apply for the Turkey E Visa online for their travel to Turkey. They will no longer have to wait for an approval to enter Turkey via the Ibrahim Khalil border which is the crossing point between Turkey and Iraq.

After the E Visa facility resumed, excitement is seen among the tourists. The Turkish tourism industry is also expecting to overcome the losses which the industry incurred during the time of crises. Basaran Ulusoy, the president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies said during a press conference that, It is expected that 42 million tourists will travel to Turkey by the end of the year and tourism revenues should reach $35 billion.

Passport holders of the eligible nations can apply for an ETA for Turkey and the document needed to apply for the E Visa are also very less, compared to old visa type for which travelers had to visit the Embassy and spend their time standing in long queues. Well, if the traveler is applying for the Visa online, he can easily get it approved in 24-48 hours by just providing his/her passport details and some processing fees. ETA visa is electronically attached to the applicant’s passport after the approval, An email is sent with the E Visa in a PDF format, which the passport holder can keep in his/her passport when traveling to Turkey. Thus the passport holder does not have to get the Visa stamped on their passport. There are many nationalities which enjoy the facility of VOA or Visa on Arrival at the Turkish Airport, but it is always advisable to check and cross verify the information before the travel date.

There are numerous websites which provide the service of applying the Turkey E Visa on their customer’s behalf and also provide certain services and benefits, However we recommend you to be sure and go through the terms & conditions of that particular website to save yourself from online fraud and get your E Visa on time.

Christians have you ever wondered why America is in Iraq? Why is God allowing our men and women to be in harms way? Why are so many of them being killed? I do not have the answer. But I do know that God does.

As I pondered these things the thought came to me that maybe this is God’s way of getting Christians into that country. Before the fall of Sadam Hussein the possibility of Christian missionaries getting into Iraq would have been impossible. Now there are thousands of Christian military personnel there.

As you pray for their safety pray also that God will use them for His glory. I am sure they have restrictions on them about sharing their beliefs, but they can live a life that would show the love of God. The love He has for everyone, including the Muslim. The people of that country will be able to see the lies, about Americans and Christians, are not true.

Paul told the Corinthians that some plant, some water, but God brings in the harvest. Pray that seed is being planted. Pray some seed is being watered and God would bring in a harvest in that country. Wouldn’t it be amazing if an evangelical outbreak swept that country?

There are some that will say that can not happen. There are those that do not want it to happen. There are those that say those people are lost and will always be lost. God has the answer. We do not know what he will do in that place with the Christians that are willing to be used by Him for His glory.

We know nothing is impossible with God. Although it almost seems improbable, the possibility exists.

So instead of despairing about the situation pray for God’s will to be done. Pray for the Christian soldiers that have the opportunity to show the love of God to the people of that nation. Pray for their well being both spiritually and physically. Pray that they would understand they are not only in the American Army but they are also in the Lord’s Army.

May God bring all of them home safe and sound. But until that time let them be about His business as they do their duty each day. Pray that God would use them to bring about the salvation of that nation. Pray that the people would open their heart to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture tells us that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Let us pray it will be sooner than later in Iraq.

Summertime in Iraq is scorching hot, regular day time temperatures reach in excess of 120ºF. It is difficult to imagine living in temperatures so extreme. Thousands of troops stationed in Iraq not only have to deal with these extreme conditions; they have to do it wearing a military uniform, body armor and other equipment. These troops are at high risk of suffering from related heat illnesses, such as mild heat stress or a fatal heat stroke.

Dehydration is a major health issue, the body sweats in an attempt to keep the body’s core temperature stable, but in very high temperatures the body will sweat at a rate higher than fluid can be replaced, creating a dangerous situation. Heat stress has five major symptoms: weakness, confusion, vomiting/diarrhea, headache/visual disturbance and poor co-ordination. Working in Iraq is dangerous enough without having to suffer from the symptoms of heat stress.

One way to stay cool during the searing Iraqi heat is to use a cooling vest. Thousands of troops in Iraq from the Australian and US Military have started using special desert colored Arctic Heat Cooling Vests. The lightweight cooling vest is used to keep troops cool while on their patrol rounds, when working around their bases, to pre-cool them before their rounds and to quickly cool themselves when they return to camp. The cooling vests will not only help to prevent heat stress, but keeping cool will also help to improve the soldiers concentration and mental alertness in the stifling summer heat.

Arctic Heat is now the preferred supplier of “Cooling Products” to the Australia Army and their troops are now being issued with the cool vest during training exercises for deployment in the Middle East region.

“We have been selling large numbers of cooling vests to the parents of US soldiers stationed in Iraq who have been sending over the cool vests to family stationed in Iraq, or otherwise we receive email orders and ship directly to the soldiers.” says Dr John Surie, President of Arctic Heat USA.

The Arctic Heat Cooling Vests were used by US Olympic teams at the Athens Olympics, and are now used by leading sports teams worldwide to improve performance.

The lightweight Arctic Heat Cooling vest uses a two stage cooling process. The vests contain a gel-like substance that can be frozen or chilled. The cooling vests are manufactured using Woolmark’s Sportwool, a special body cooling fabric which incorporates Vapor Management Technology helping to wick moisture away from the skin, allowing the wearer to keep dry.

The Arctic Heat body cooling vest which is suitable for industrial, medical and sporting applications retails for $174.95

The Military Cooling Vest can be purchased online at a special discounted price through the Arctic Heat USA website www.arcticheatusa.com.

The unprecedented win of the Asian Cup by Iraq soccer team created new hope in Iraq for a coalition government that could actually work together to solve the divided nation's explosive problems -specifically, replacing the government with the soccer team.

The besieged citizens of Iraq reason that, since the soccer team could only win with teamwork, they seem to possess the necessary ingredient the government lacks.

Commenting on the move to replace the government with the soccer team, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, commented, "I don't see how a bunch of kids, whose greatest accomplishment is scoring a goal with a head shot, can possibly be qualified to run the government. Here you have to be able to do much more with your head, like bury it in the sand. "

Confuting him, the player who scored the winning goal and is slated to replace him as Prime Minister, stated, "On the other hand, I myself don't see how a bunch of adults, whose greatest accomplishment is putting their sectarian interests ahead of the nation's welfare, can possibly continue to run the Iraqi government. What this country needs is a government that knows what good sportsmanship is. "

Should the soccer team take over, there is widespread hope that the country can finally get some real movement on issues the current government seems incapable of dealing with. For example, three key issues are agreeing to disarm the militias, dividing up the oil revenue equitably, and improving female fashions.

These seemingly insoluble issues obviously fly in the face of al-Maliki's key supporters – the faction loyal to the principal perpetrator of divisiveness, the calculating cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is hoping for failure so he can step in and save the nation as a Shiite ally of clerics in Iran who look like him. Thankfully, however, he is too fat to play soccer.

Now the only question that remains is, when will the winning soccer team get its chance to sock it to the disagreements that continue to divide their country?

Insects come under the phylum Arthropods that is characterized by jointed legs. Iraq contains a diverse range of insects which are brilliantly adapted to the blistering heat of the region. The following count carries the characters of some abundantly found insects in Iraq.

Prominent among insects in Iraq is the camel spider that can get as big as it wishes. It belongs to the order Soplpugida (Latin origin). It is basically a group of arachnids containing about 900 species. This order is also called Solpugida, another name. Thus, matevendos (deer killer), sun spider and the wind scorpion are the other names that belong to this order. Most Solifugae inhabit the regions ranging from tropical and sub tropical to grassland or forest. Their two large chelicerae is the most characteristic feature. Every chelicera comprises two articles that constitute a powerful pincer. The articles are loaded with the numerous teeth Long Pedipalps that work as sense organs are also exhibited by Solifugae. So, the function is randomly similar to the antennae of an insect. An appearance of two extra legs is given by the two pedipalps.

Second among insects in Iraq is the desert mantis, which blends into the sand and is essentially a carnivore. It starts forward with a tremendous speed and is found in all size and colors. The large black desert ants inhabit the acacia grooves of gif valley and the Karkur Talh. Oriental hornet is another insect found; it can exist as different species in all extreme of temperature. The temperate zone species of the hornet also has queens and workers in its social system. The fertilized queen forms nest in springs in hollow trees. She builds, on an average fifty vertical combs and then lays an egg in each which hatches in a week. The larva (fed a protein diet by the queen) spins a silk cap, altering into an adult (metamorphosis) after undergoing six stages within a week. The workers take care of the brood.

Another on the list of insects in Iraq is the desert ant that lives in desert and has an in built internal system of tracking the steps it takes. It also leaves a pheromone scent rail or visual cues to trace their path on the same way they came. Desert scorpions use their claws to hold the prey. Then, the telson is swung up and down the backs of the prey. Finally, the venom is injected; it is highly painful to humans as well. On the back, the mother carries nymphs, the young ones. It feeds on lizards and small vertebrates.

Among insects in Iraq, the fog drinking beetle also finds prominence. It has stiff and bumpy outer wings on which minute fog droplets gather and coalesce. The big droplet then releases is grip from the surface of the wing. Finally, the big drop rolls inside the mouth parts of the beetle in the desert. Other insects are the sand spider which is deadly toxic.

As the Democrats position themselves for the upcoming feast of power in the House and Senate, and President Bush continues capitulating, it appears more and more obvious that “cut and run” will make the transition from dire warning to U.S. policy.

With that in mind, we have to focus on what happens when we do “redeploy” our troops out of Iraq. There are three likely possibilities.

The first scenario is that as soon as the last helicopter lifts off from the embassy roof in Baghdad, the Shiites and Sunnis will begin a full scale civil war. At the same time, tens of thousands of al-Qaeda members and sympathizers will flood in from Syria, Iran and other neighboring countries. The new Iraqi government will fall, and Iraq will become the hub mid east instability and the new world capital for global terrorism.

This would be an embarrassment to the U.S. and a blow to the global war against Islamic fascists. However, there would be a silver lining in this ominous dark cloud.

If a civil war happened in Iraq, it would likely split into three distinct ethnic regions: Sunni, Shiite, and Kurd. The sovereign nation of Iraqi Kurdistan would quickly be formed in the north, and the U.S. would be welcomed there with open arms. The Kurds have been overwhelmingly supportive of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, as they suffered the worst of Saddam’s oppression. Also, the Kurdish region in northern Iraq is politically stable and secure. The Kurds would likely provide us with bases on their territory, as well as logistic and intelligence support. We’d lose Iraq but gain Iraqi Kurdistan.

It’s more difficult to forecast what would happen between Shiites and Sunnis. Even though polls show that the majority of both Shiites and Sunnis support the new government, the radical minority in both groups could eliminate the possibility of any joint government. Both sects would likely devolve into independent, totalitarian theocracies, each under the rule of the radical cleric de jour. They would engage in skirmish-like battles with each other, especially for control of Baghdad. That is until Iran and/or Syria seized on the opportunity to invade under the guise of peacekeeping. Either way, 80% of what is now Iraq would become a haven for al-Qaeda and like minded groups.

The second post-withdrawal scenario is that the newly formed Iraqi Security Force (ISF) will handle the sectarian insurgency and prevent an Iranian- and Syrian-backed al-Qaeda invasion. If they succeed, the new government will survive, and Iraq will become the model of freedom and democracy for the new Middle East.

The good news for this scenario is that the strength and readiness of the new Iraqi military and police forces has improved dramatically1, the Iraqi economy and infrastructure are better than before the war, and free and independent media is growing rapidly.2 The bad news is that it will be a hard fight, and I only give them a 50/50 chance if the pullout happens within six months as most Democrats propose. The longer we stay, the better the ISF’s and Iraqi government’s odds.

If Iraqi can prevent outside interference from Iran and Syria, then the level of violence will stabilize and eventually decline. Despite the impression given by the international media’s obsessive coverage, the current situation in Iraq is not that bad.

In 2005, more people were murdered in the U.S. (16,692)3 than were killed in all Iraqi violence (9,361).4 Iraq’s murder rate was 35.1 per 100,000 in 2005, which includes all insurgent attacks and combat fatalities. This puts Iraq slightly above the tourist destination of Jamaica (32.4) and Hugo Chavez’ utopia of Venezuela (31.6). However, you are still safer walking the streets of Iraq than you are in the nations of South Africa or Columbia, which have murder rates of 49.6 and 67.1 per 100,000 respectively.5

Contrary to popular belief, there hasn’t been a war in Iraq since 2003. Iraq just has a serious crime problem, about the same as Washington D.C. (35.4 murders per 100,000 residents in 2005). Mission accomplished.

The bottom line is this: The new, democratic government in Iraq gets stronger every day. The majority of Iraqis support the new government, and they are taking part in the political system for the first time in their lives. They are learning what it means to be free. They are learning how it feels to not be afraid.

America has made a paid a huge price in lives and gold to secure this new freedom for the Iraqi people. We planted the seed, and they are almost ready to tend to the sapling. If we withdraw now, the roots that we watered with our sons’ and daughters’ blood may wither and die – and make their sacrifice for naught. Or, the Iraqi people just might pleasantly surprise us once again.

1. Report to Congress, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq” October 2005
2. St. Petersburg Times, “Iraq by the Numbers” 11/12/2006
3. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program
4. Estimated, compiled from various media accounts
5. Seventh United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems

The P90X workout program is an incredibly well known in home workout program. It seems almost every day after about midnight if you are channel surfing you are almost guaranteed to come across an infomercial featuring Tony Horton and his infamous workout. However in doing a little research I found that this workout routine is not confined to the US and is more “world famous” than previously thought. Let me show you what I found…

Today I ran across some interesting information while searching P90X on Google analytics. For those that don’t know Google allows you to search certain keywords like “P90X” and see how many times that keyword is searched for in a months time. In digging a little deeper I found that the majority of those searches come from the US however next to Puerto Rico the next country that had the highest amount of searches came from Iraq, this being even higher than Canada.

The P90X routine is sold only in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada so needless to say I was a little dumb founded as to why so many searches for P90X were coming from Iraq. Why Iraq, right? The only conclusion I could up with is that Iraq has tens of thousands of US soldiers, granted this number has been decreasing but regardless of the current trend there’s still a lot there. When examining just the average soldier it’s obvious they try to maintain peak physical condition but even with extensive training and the ability to exercise and workout out at the fingertips occasionally soldiers want and need more.

P90X has been said to be the hardest more extensive in home extreme fitness program that has ever been produced and put on DVD’s. Very little is required in addition the DVD’s to get in the best shape of your life. With this being said it is obvious that the reputation of this program is good and often talked about, so much so that it spreads over seas to soldiers all over the world, with Iraq having an extremely high concentration of active ones and therefore ones that are looking for an alternative to the typical boot camp style in gym training that they are provided.

My personal opinion is that the shear fact P90X is searched for so much in another country by soldiers that are already in great shape really is a strong testimony to the fact that this program works and works well. If your skeptical about P90X let that fact that the strongest and most physically conditioned soldiers in the world are looking for more and are coming to Tony Horton and P90X for their next fix.

The words China and Egypt, Athens and Rome, bring to most people’s mind a mysterious history and a respected culture. Rarely will the word Mesopotamia, ancient Iraq, do the same. You’ll probably receive confused or weird expressions from children, even most adults, at the mention of Mesopotamia. In regards to Iraq, images of Saddam, violence, terrorists, Islamic fundamentalists and war pop up all over. And that’s where the images usually end.

As for Iraq’s attributes, they are buried alive beneath lack of recognition. For whatever reason, history school books and TV programs fail to discuss the importance of ancient Iraq, even though it’s the mother of our current lifestyle and therefore, should not only be discussed but emphasized.

I stopped writing here, walked away from my computer and asked my niece, who was studying for a college course at the kitchen table, to call a couple of her friends, tell them she was doing a survey for her aunt and could they answer one question: “What is Mesopotamia?”

The people surveyed were in their mid-twenties to late thirties, and are either currently in college or have a college degree.

1st response is a first generation American, the daughter of Chaldean (Christian Iraqi) immigrants: “What the f_ _ _ is this for? I don’t know. I’m not good in geography. Are you kidding me right now? I can’t explain it like this. You caught me off guard. I don’t know. I have to think about it. You can’t do this. I wasn’t able to brain storm so go get your information from someplace else.”

Click. My niece laughed, knowing her friend overreacted having been put on the spot. She dialed the next number, this time putting a little twist in the question. “If an alien comes down from out of space and asks you what is Mesopotamia, what would you say?”

2nd response is also by the daughter of Chaldean immigrants: “Oh, my God! Well…. Long ago – long ago – okay, it’s an area of land in the Middle East. It’s our culture, where our people are from. Didn’t your aunt write a book on this? It’s a big spot and a war broke out there and everyone was separated to different areas.”

3rd response is by a Greek-American man: “I don’t know. Never heard of it. It’s a region. In Biblical times. That’s all I know.”

4th response is by an American woman: “It’s a country – an area – providence – an area in the Middle East. In an Arabic land. Where there’s King Tut and Egypt.”

5th response is by an Iranian woman: “It was an Eastern civilization that has something to do with the Ottoman Empire or Egypt.”

6th response is by a Jewish woman: “It’s a country or city.”

7th response is by an Irish-American woman: “Cancer.”

She must have mistaken the word for mesothelioma, I’m assuming?

The results of the survey did not surprise me. I knew from prior experience that people knew little if anything about the history of Iraq even though America has had political and media contact with that region for nearly two decades. I remember how after the Gulf War many people called Iraq Iran and after I corrected them, they explained, “Oh, I always get these two countries mixed up.”

Unless the person is highly or self educated, he or she will not likely know that civilization was born in Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago. That is where writing, astronomy and science were invented. The first school, law, literature, map of the world, and the idea of dividing time and space into a multiple of 60’s started in this historic land.

The first writer in recorded history was Enheduanna, a woman from ancient Iraq. She lived, composed, and taught roughly 2,000 years before Aristotle and 1,700 years prior to Sappho. Before the “golden age” of Greece. Man’s most important invention, the wheel, was devised in Mesopotamia, as was plumbing, the plow and the sailboat.

If people were commonly aware of these facts, their image of Iraq will change and so will their opinion and behavior towards it. For instance, maybe Baghdad’s museum would have been better protected from looters after the American/British invasion. Instead, 300-400 looters were permitted to come and go as they please taking such antiques as the Varca vase, which goes back to 3,200 B.C. Found in a temple, it shows the philosophy of the Sumerians and the development and stages of life. Also missing was a headless statue for a Sumerian king, Antemena, and the famous Barzeki bronze statue, which dates back to early dynastic Sumerian periods and is more than 160 kilograms. It’s one of the earliest large examples of casting that was made by the “lost wax technique,” which is used until now.

Why didn’t the American Army help when Iraqis pleaded for one of its nearby tanks to help save the museum, by simply moving in front of it? Why was the Army’s response, “I’m sorry, it’s not our duty” when a list issued by the American Central Command stated which places the Army should protect during the 2003 war – and the museum was at Number 2, while the Ministry of Oil, which was urgently and efficiently protected, was at Number 16?

Much of the violence against US troops is triggered by the troops’ failure to understand culture-specific manners and practices in Iraq. It is beneficial for everyone to aid in cultures becoming better acquainted and as a result, lead individuals to stop the destructive acts that have terrorized both the East and the West. To do this one needs only encourage mainstream Western media to recognize the rewards and not just the conflicts regarding Arabs’ tribal ways, which operate on a foundation of honor, respect and a sense of community.

In California today there is a program for the military where Iraqi people are brought in to show how Iraqis think and behave, how they operate in their tribal system. It is a wonderful idea which really aught to have been implemented before the war so that the sons and daughters, fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers serving in Iraq would be equipped with understanding, not just weapons.

Through replacing stereotypes with accurate information, we are also able to transform America’s image which too has suffered in the world due to myths and misconceptions attained through media and some of our politicians’ bad decisions. For instance, when I was in Baghdad almost six years ago, many Iraqis assumed that in America all women had one night stands, using drugs was the cultural norm, and everyone walked around with guns.