OMG I FORGOT....Riverbend Blog

 How does Riverbend change your perspective on the war? What surprises you about her blog?


     After reading Riverbend's blog I get more of a modern day human perspective of Baghdad, especially in regards as to what is going on with the war in this part of the world. I have a Pakistani friend who visits Pakistan as often as she can and she always sends me very picturesque views of Pakistan, a place I used to think of as plagued by bullet ridden clay buildings and dirt roads. However, she explained to me that's only the places that the media portrays to the public to make it seem as though Pakistan is a "Third World" in need of Western saving. That view was very clear through Riverbend's blogging. She mentions that Baghdad is often a place referred to in the media as a place that is undergoing reconstruction meaning that "re" where something was there before. That something Riverbend explains were massive skyscrapers, galleries, businesses, banks, a modern day metropolitan city. Yet, due to the war and American occupation the city has been reduced to a battle zone. More so, what stuck out to me about the war was America's role as far as contracting with the reconstruction and rebuilding that's going on. Riverben gives the example about the bridge that is being reconstructed by her cousin who is skilled in this art. She goes into detail about the construction and the pricing and even gives the $300,000 quote from her cousin versus the $50,000,000 quote from the American company Haliburton. I was struck- literally dumbstruck by the fact that the American company was given the contract. This is honestly exploitation and the fact that the CPA is approving such things is disgusting. As Riverbend mentioned Baghdad has plenty of skilled professionals who are not being utilized in an effort to decrease the unemployment rate in Baghdad.

   In regards to the blog, I don't want to say that I was shocked with the political critiques and  analysis that Riverbend gave because I feel that would take away from Riverbend as a woman and a person but I truly respected everything she had to say and I was amused when it came to reading about her thoughts on each of the rotating puppets. I loved the rawness that Riverbend spoke with and I would very much like to cross paths with such an aspiring woman.