Iraqis’ Reactions to President Obama’s Speech

Mosul

In Mosul, a city dominated by Sunni Arabs that served as Saddam Hussein’s northern command post and a place to launch operations against the nearby Kurds, many people told our Iraqi correspondent that they did not even know about the speech. Others said they had no electricity, so were unable to watch it.

Ahmed Ibrahim, 33
Teacher
“I have not heard the speech. It’s an American matter between President Obama and the people of the United States. We do not care if they withdraw or not. The important thing is that security is improved and we can live an ordinary life.”

---

Karim Hussein, 46
“It would have been better for Obama to talk about the U.S. victory in Iraq, as they achieved everything they planned — from the change of regime to turning Iraq into a weak country, putting Saddam on trial, killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Omar al-Baghdadi and holding democratic elections despite the human and material losses inflicted on the U.S. military and the Iraqis. … It is Iraq and its people who have lost and will keep losing.”

Raed Mohammed Bashir, 35
“I heard the speech. It was a speech for domestic consumption in the U.S. It is good for the upcoming American election. For Iraqis, it meant nothing. We are suffering in bad conditions, with loss of security, corruption and no government. The Americans lost nothing, whether they completed their mission or not. What more will happen to Iraq? They destroyed Iraq and surrendered it. We cannot even form a government so how come they are leaving Iraq? They will leave us to whom?”

Qasim Daoud, 44
Engineer
“Why should I listen to him? What will he say? All the words are known and have been said before. This is all a lie, the talk about withdrawal. Yesterday, there was a U.S. patrol in my neighborhood. Withdrawing, and leaving 50,000 soldiers?”

Yahiya Haji
“I did not hear the speech and do not care about it. It is all a lie. The American troops will stay in Iraq without a withdrawal, and who knows whether 50,000 or 1,000 soldiers will remain. No one can tell, not a security agreement or the prime minister. They will keep a force ready in case there are any security problems.”

---

Basra

Ahmed Mahmoud, 61
“I didn’t see the speech, but they say that Obama announced the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq, which is very funny because they withdraw, yet they are leaving 50,000 soldiers in military bases. I think this speech is for the media only. I am not convinced by any statements from the U.S. president and Iraqi officials. We know the withdrawal is in name only.”

Abdel Karim Jamil, 47
Journalist
“I followed the speech. I consider that the withdrawal is a step forward in the right direction and puts Iraq to the test. It leaves no excuses for opposition groups who are calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops, and it will put the government face to face with the Iraqi people for their achievements to be evaluated.”

Abdul Jabbar Abdul Kareem, 41
Supermarket Owner
“I have not heard the speech entirely because I was working, but I noticed that no one was interested, as if it were just everyday news rather than anything major. Perhaps because the withdrawal started months ago, and we got bored of it. I might say that I think we need these troops to support us and give us relief from our neighbors interfering. I hope the U.S. government will understand that, and not forget the promises that they gave us. I am not satisfied with the withdrawal. I think that America did not withdraw from Iraq but actually pulled out only on paper.”

Abu Taqi Waeli, 66
Businessman
“I haven’t heard the speech yesterday or today because of Ramadan. The troops are pulling out, they say, but I say that they will never withdraw until they are confident of achieving their strategic interests. If they guarantee those, then they will withdraw for real. I hope that they will stay for some time.”

---

KARADA, Baghdad

(a middle-class district with a mixed Sunni and Shiite population)

Muqdad al-Asadi, 30
“I did not hear Obama’s speech, and even if he gave a speech it doesn’t deserve my listening to it.”

Suha al-Anbari, 33
“I am with Mr. Obama’s speech because he is expending a lot of effort to give Iraq freedom and dignity, and I respect Obama for all of his efforts for Iraq and the region.“

The New York Times

Alaa al-Najar, 36
“I was busy with my broken generator. I want Obama to give us power instead of words.”

Suaad Mohamed, 41
Teacher
“I heard the speech, but I need him to start delivering. He needs to give us our stolen rights so that we will give him our trust.”

Momtaz Ali, 29
Supermarket Owner
“I am busy earning my living to pay my rent and generator costs, I have no time to hear Obama’s speech. I would rather listen to any song rather than hear this troublemaker lie.”

Salah al-Bahadli, 53
Shop Owner
“It’s very important to listen to Obama’s speech, because Iraq needs to believe that it has returned to its position among the world’s nations. We need to know everything about ourselves, and we should not consider it an unimportant speech.”

Areej Luay, 32
Dentist
“I want to say that Obama’s speech was good, and I do respect him giving words because he promised and he achieved our dream of liberty. Obama is the only honest U.S. president I have witnessed.”

Ali Salam, 28
Unemployed
“I do not want to listen to Obama’s lies. I am suffering because of the U.S. withdrawal. I need the U.S. troops to stay to help us, now we are in the middle of the road and we need more time before they withdraw their troops. I was working with the U.S. Army and now because of the withdrawal I have no job, thanks to Obama.”

---

ADHAMIYA, Baghdad (an overwhelmingly Sunni neighborhood)

Salih Mahdi, 66
Pensioner
“I wanted to hear the speech, but a friend of mine told me that Obama did not lay down a red line to stop Iranian interference in Iraq, so it is not what we wanted to hear.”

Muhammed al-Shaliji, 43
“I did not hear the speech and I am not interested in what he said.”

Ayad Muhammed, 52
Unemployed
“I did not hear the speech because I do not think that the U.S. will ever leave us alone.”

Marwan Ahmed, 43
Unemployed
“Not hearing Obama talking about Iran and their influence in Iraq makes us believe that America has sold us to Iran. I did not even like the way the U.S. troops left Iraq in the middle of the night heading to Kuwait. This means that they are afraid and they did not even make a celebration, just like the way they left Vietnam. What makes it worst is that they left Iraq unsecured at this time when we needed them the most.”

Thamir al-Ani, 60
Retired

“I heard the speech and he did not come up with something new, he said what military leaders say all the time, that there is a new strategy in Iraq.”

Wisam Abdul Karim, 45
Businessman
“Despite what he says, I think they will keep enough forces in Iraq to deal with any problem that will affect their interests here.”

Yousif Muhammed, 34
Unemployed
“I liked it when he blamed Bush for the mistakes in Iraq, and I tell Obama if that was Bush’s fault than is it not a mistake leaving Iraq with these crises? I think if Bush made a mistake, this will be a bigger one.”

Omar Walid, 40
Unemployed
“Half the speech was a lie, because they will not leave Iraq. If they were going to leave us why did they build 93 military bases. As for what he said — that they will stick with the security agreement and be responsible for Iraq’s borders — I say to him, ‘where were you when the Iranian forces attacked Iraq? Where were you when the Iranians took over Faka oil field? Where were you when the Turkish forces attacked us?’ ”

Abu Taha, 36
Government Employee
“What was good about the speech was that we heard that the U.S. leaving Iraq. But what is not good about it is the timing, that they are leaving now. We do not even have a government. They should have waited until there is a good government which is not sectarian, and they should have found solutions for the Iranians’ interference in Iraq. But what happened is that they left us with no future, no plans. The Iraqi Army is destroyed, and not ready.”

Iraqi employees of The New York Times contributed reporting from Baghdad, Mosul and Basra.