I don't know anything about feline cognitive ability, but it is probably reasonable to assume that the cat saw things outdoors through the windows or doors much in the same way as she saw things on television, simply moving images on the other side of a pane of glass. The things within the four walls of our house made up everything that cat knew about the world.
One day my mother, tired of cleaning a litter box (since neither my siblings nor I would do that job), decided to try to train the cat to go outside to take care of "business." No sooner did my mother get outside with that cat than the cat "freaked out," clawing and wailing, leaping from my mother's arms and back into the house. The cat had just been thrust into a new world, utterly foreign and completely unknown and unsuspected, a world that cat could never have imagined.
A recent National Review article[1] by Steven Vincent about his experiences with some Iraqi citizens reminded me of that cat. It seems that many in Iraq have no idea of what it is like outside of the four walls of Iraq.
This is not surprising given the fact that for a generation, Iraqis have been allowed very little contact with the outside world and all of their "news" was processed and sanitized to reflect the view that Saddam Hussein wanted them to have.
As Vincent described, some Iraqis are dismayed that the Americans cannot get the electricity turned on, restore peace and get everyone a job immediately. Why can't the powerful Americans do these simple things?
Many are skeptical of the delays in bringing normalcy to their lives, thinking that there is a "vast American conspiracy" to keep the Iraqis down.
It is not known just how widespread or ingrained such ideas about America, America's technological prowess and America's intentions in Iraq really are. It stands to reason that the Iraqis, after years of Saddam's propaganda, really don't know what to believe. They are skeptical of the things they can see, just like our cat (or your typical teenager).
Obviously, a fearful and reticent populace, not knowing if the Americans and British will stay to finish the reconstruction or if they will leave as in 1991, is not approaching the rebuilding of their country with great enthusiasm. As Vincent points out, an attitude of "you broke it, you fix it" is not uncommon.
There is not much the Americans and British can do to change attitudes in Iraq other than to continue to do the job at hand; getting electricity turned on, water running, schools opened and the nation secured.
Gaining the trust and confidence of the Iraqi people will take time and it will not be easy, especially in light of the continued anti-American attacks and propaganda. Make no mistake, there is serious opposition to American presence in Iraq and that resistance will stop at nothing to rally public support against the Americans.
The cat eventually became comfortable being outdoors and learned that the world she never knew was not to be feared. One day, hopefully in the not too distance future, the Iraqi people will learn that Americans too are not to be feared, but rather thanked.
[1]http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/vincent200310280822.asp
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