The War Clouds Hover Over Baghdad (Report from the Special Correspondent of The Global Times in Iraq)

Author: Shi Yuwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-01
Features: The Cloud of War Over Baghdad – On-the-ground reporting by the Global Times' Special Correspondent in Iraq. Saddam was a man of strong personality, and under his rule, Iraq was also endowed with a strong personality. In this mysterious country, how the ordinary people ate, drank, defecated, and urinated, and how the upper class laughed, talked, and chatted – all of these were crucial for the outside world to understand. The author walked the streets of Baghdad, observed daily life, sampled local cuisine, and experienced the customs and folklore of the Tigris-Euphrates region; he entered Iraq's "palace gates" and got close to Saddam's subordinates. What he saw was the true Iraq and its people. This is part of the liveliness.
As the American army swept in like a mountain of thunder, what would Iraq do, and what would Saddam do? There were many stories of threats and resistance in this situation. The author narrated from multiple perspectives and in a comprehensive manner the different psychological states of Iraq's upper and lower echelons, depicting the diverse scenes of Iraq under the shadow of war. The articles are very satisfying to read. This is part of the liveliness.
How do Chinese people live in Iraq? The author should be in a position to speak on this. In Iraq, he had to buy groceries and cook, commute for official business, work late into the night to write, and face various big and small difficulties that he wouldn't encounter elsewhere. What is particularly precious is that the author, though not a professional adventurer, dared to fly into the "no-fly zone" under the threat of American and British gunfire, approach the heavily guarded "palace" of Saddam, and even drink water contaminated by depleted uranium. Chinese people with such experiences and the courage to share them are presumably not many. This is part of the liveliness.
Although I haven't been to Iraq, after reading the articles in this book, a vivid Iraq springs to life on the page. This is the rarity of popular reading. Merely for this reason alone, readers who have read this book will certainly not be disappointed.