Khalilzad's Confidential Memo

I can't believe this hasn't been diaried yet.  This is too important to pass up.  All the credit needs to go to The Independent.  

The Ambassador to Iraq is giving Condi "Snapshots" from Iraq.  I guess it's all the good news that is coming out of Iraq but not being told to the American People.  NOT!

Much of it is edited here, but you should read the whole article at

http://news.independent.co.uk/...

Must read on.....

CONFIDENTIAL MEMO

FROM: US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Baghdad  
TO:   Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
SUBJECT: SNAPSHOTS FROM THE OFFICE
Published: 20 June 2006

 1. Iraqi staff in the [Ambassador's office] have complained that Islamist and Militia groups have been negatively affecting daily routine. Harassment over proper dress and habits is increasingly persuasive.

2. Two of our three female employees report stepped up harassment beginning in mid-May. One, a Shia who favors Western clothing, was advised by an unknown woman in her Baghdad neighbourhood to wear a veil and not to drive her own car.  

3.  A Sunni [woman] said people in her neighbourhood are harassing women, and [s]he said the taxi driver who brings her every day to the green zone has told her he cannot let her ride unless she wears a headcover.

4. The women say they cannot identify the groups pressuring them.... Some ministries, notably the Sadrist controlled Ministry of Transportation, have been forcing females to wear the hijab at work.

5. Staff members have reported it is now dangerous for men to wear shorts in public; they no longer allow their children to play outside in shorts. People who wear jeans in public have come under attack.  

Evictions

6. ....(NOTE: An Arab newspaper editor told us he is preparing an extensive survey of ethnic cleansing,which he said is taking place in almost every Iraqi province, as political parties and their militias are seemingly engaged in tit-for-tat reprisals all over Iraq.)

....

Kidnappings, and Threats of Worse

10. One employee informed us that his brother-in-law had been kidnapped. The man was eventually released but this caused enormous emotional distress to his family. One employee, a Sunni Kurd, received an indirect threat on her life in April. She took extended leave, and by May, relocated abroad with her family.

Security Forces Mistrusted

11. In April, employees began reporting a change in demeanor of guards at the green zone checkpoints. They seemed to be militia-like in some cases seemingly taunting. One employee asked us to get her some press credentials because the guards held her embassy badge up and proclaimed loudly to passers-by "Embassy" as she entered. Such information is a death sentence if heard by the wrong people.

Supervising Staff At High Risk

12. Employees all share a common tale: of nine employees in March, only four had family members who knew they worked at the embassy. Iraqi colleagues who are called after hours often speak in Arabic as an indication they cannot speak openly in English.

 13. We cannot call employees in on weekends or holidays without blowing their "cover"....Mounting criticism of the US at home among family members also makes her life difficult. She told us in mid-June that most of her family believes the US - which is widely perceived as fully controlling the country and tolerating the malaise - is punishing the population as Saddam did (but with Sunnis and very poor Shia now at the bottom of the list). Otherwise, she says, the allocation of power and security would not be so arbitrary.

15. We have begun shredding documents that show local staff surnames. In March, a few members approached us to ask what provisions would we make for them if we evacuate.

Sectarian Tensions Within Families

16. Ethnic and sectarian faultlines are becoming part of the daily media fare in the country. One Shia employee told us in late May that she can no longer watch TV news with her mother, who is Sunni, because her mother blamed all the government failings on the fact that Shia are in charge. Many of the employee's family left Iraq years ago. This month, another sister is departing for Egypt, as she imagines the future here is too bleak.

Frayed Nerves and Mistrust

17. Against this backdrop of frayed social networks, tension and moodiness have risen. A Sunni Arab female apparently insulted a Shia female by criticizing her overly liberal dress. One colleague told us he feels " defeated" by circumstances, citing the example of being unable to help his two-year-old son who has asthma and cannot sleep in the stifling heat.

18. Another employee tells us life outside the Green Zone has become " emotionally draining". He claims to attend a funeral "every evening ". He, like other local employees, is financially responsible for his immediate and extended families. He revealed that "the burden of responsibility; new stress coming from social circles who increasingly disapprove of the coalition presence, and everyday threats weigh very heavily ".

Staying Straight with Neighborhood Governments and the 'Alama'

19. Staff say they daily assess how to move safely in public. Often, if they must travel outside their neighborhoods, they adopt the clothing, language, and traits of the area. Moving inconspicuously in Sadr City requires Shia dress and a particular lingo. 20 Since Samarra, Baghdadis have honed survival skills. Vocabulary has shifted. Our staff - and our contacts - have become adept in modifying behaviour to avoid "Alasas", informants who keep an eye out for " outsiders" in neighborhoods. The Alasa mentality is becoming entrenched as Iraqi security forces fail to gain public confidence.

21. Staff report security and services are being rerouted through " local providers" whose affiliations are vague. Those who are admonishing citizens on their dress are not well known either. Personal safety depends on good relations with "neighborhood" governments, who barricade streets and ward off outsiders. People no longer trust most neighbours.

22. A resident of Shia/Christian Karrada district told us "outsiders" have moved in and control the mukhtars.

Zal finishes up with a warning of his own:

23. Although our staff retain a professional demeanor, strains are apparent. We see their personal fears are reinforcing divisive sectarian or ethnic channels. Employees are apprehensive enough that we fear they may exaggerate developments or steer us towards news that comports with their own world view. Objectivity, civility, and logic that make for a functional workplace may falter if social pressures outside the Green Zone don't abate.

(This is an edited version of the memo)-that was from the original report

I DON'T GET HOW IN SUCH A CLOSE-KNIT SOCIETY NOBODY KNOWS WHO IS BEHIND THE THREATS AND THE HATE?  

LO AND BEHOLD, IT SEEMS THAT SO-CALLED OUTSIDERS ARE BLAMED FOR EITHER CAUSING THE PROBLEM OR BEING THE PROBLEM.  IT JUST DEPENDS WHO IS DOING THE CALLING.   Update: It appears that, the old adage is true the enemy is us....