Today's Iraq is a world away from the terror that followed the U.S. invasion to depose Saddam Hussein 20 years ago this week. A new generation is eager to turn away from the sectarianism of the past and heal the…
BAGHDAD — Along the Tigris River, young Iraqi men and women in jeans and sneakers danced with joyous abandon on a recent evening to a local rapper as the sun set behind them. It's a world away from the terror that followed the U.S. invasion 20 years ago.
People are also reading… Half of today's population isn't old enough to remember life under Saddam Hussein. In interviews from Baghdad to Fallujah, young Iraqis deplored the chaos that followed Saddam's ouster, but many were hopeful about nascent freedoms and opportunities. After the invasion, Iraq lay broken, violence reigning, he said. Today is different; he and like-minded peers freely talk about solutions."I think the young people will try to fix this situation."
In 2019-20, young people protested against corruption and lack of services. After 600 were killed by government forces and militias, parliament agreed to election changes to allow more groups to share power.The sun bakes down on Fallujah, the main city of the Anbar region — once a hotbed of activity for al-Qaida of Iraq and, later, the Islamic State group. Beneath the girders of the city's bridge across the Euphrates, three 18-year-olds return home from school for lunch.
Fallujah gleams with apartments, hospitals, amusement parks, a promenade. But officials were wary of letting Western reporters wander unescorted, a sign of lingering uncertainty. Abdullah Rubaie, 24, could barely contain his excitement."Peace for sure makes it easier" for parties like this, he said. His stepbrother Ahmed Rubaie, 30, agreed.
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