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Life Onboard | LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005 | |
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Question: What do you think of the way in which the Saddam Hussein regime was overthrown? Mr. Watai: Before the war, it was said that Saddam was supported by the Iraqi people 100% and I wondered if this was true, so I spoke to one of my interpreters alone, without anyone around. He said that people didn’t feel safe in their own homes, that women and children lived in fear. I believe that Saddam fostered fear in people. With regard to his regime, what approach should we take when getting rid of it? This is a very hard question. Going through the United Nations, of course, is important. Everyone says that we have to get a UN resolution before we do anything – this always comes up when we talk about the Saddam regime. It depends on whether your point of view is pro- or anti-US foreign policy. These people have very different opinions of this topic. |
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Question: Did you talk to a lot of Iraqi citizens about what was happening? Mr. Watai: I asked so many people “when the air raids started, what did you do?” They said that they couldn’t do anything. I really sympathized with them. At that time, if they opposed the war, it meant that they were fighting for Saddam. They didn’t like that. One taxi driver said “I don’t want war, but I will not help Saddam, this is why I didn’t do anything”. During the Saddam regime, the people did not have a choice. Even now, they don’t have a choice. Two weeks before the war started, I entered Baghdad and I was very surprised at their lives. They were going to school, children were playing football, and people were in the markets. They were very optimistic. Now, they just pretend to be optimistic. |
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When Bush announced the 48 hour deadline, then they began to prepare for war – buying food, water or preparing shelter. One person said to me, I asked him “how was life after the war started” He said “in Iraq, the war didn’t start on the 20th of March … it’s been happening for eight years.” They are used to the war situation. But it is the first time for children – they were afraid. I asked one guy with a wife and three children … “during the air raid, how was life?” I thought he would be afraid, but he said they had a normal life during the air raid. They did it to protect the children. They said that during the air raid, they were singing songs with the children to help them to keep a normal life. Question: I’m curious about how you viewed the American soldiers. As an American, I think the decision was horrible, but the people there were not necessarily evil, even thought they did evil things. I’m curious what your views on the soldiers were. What did they think they were there to do? Mr. Watai: I met so many American soldiers in Iraq - Korean Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans. They were very young. There were a lot of students there, because in America, they can get scholarships if they enter the Army. Also, they can get green cards. That’s why a lot of young and poor people enter the army. I think there were few rich people – they’re very poor in the US army. Also, they don’t understand why they are in Iraq. They say “to liberate the Iraqi people or help them”, but they are just saying that. It’s not from deep in their minds. I asked one guy, “Where are the weapons of mass destruction? Why can’t you find them?” He couldn’t answer. He said “you can find them with your camera”. What does that mean? They don’t understand the reason for the war. I believe they also are victims. The army is like a bridge. One side is killing people, the other is being killed. I think the army is “kill or be killed,” “do or die”. This is their fate. That is why I feel sympathy for them. Military problems are, I think, not their problem. Japan also … some of Japan’s self-defense force is in Iraq, but the civilians sent them there. In Japan, civilians control the self-defense force – they always push the army into situations like that. Question: What surprised you the most about what you saw in Iraq? Mr. Watai: I was surprised that before, the Iraqi people loved Japan very much – more than any other country. I have been to many countries and many people have knowledge of Japanese companies, but the Iraq people are very friendly to Japanese and trust them. That was before. But now, the impression of Japanese people is getting worse. We have lost our good friends in Iraq because of this. Iraq is a very rich country, with rich culture, education and resources, but it has been destroyed by war. Question: As a journalist with extensive experiences in the Middle East, what advice would you give to the people whose only source of information about the situation is the mass media? Mr. Watai: Don’t believe it. No, I don’t want to say that. I say, don’t believe the mass media so much. The media is just one viewpoint. It reflects the point of view of the reporter or director. Please check other media. Certainly accept it, but don’t believe it. I call this media literacy. When speaking of war or violence, there is no true “objective”. *For readers living in Japan, “Little Birds” can be seen in Shinjuku (K’s Cinema), Nagoya, and Osaka during the Golden Week holidays. |
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Links: http://littlebirds.net (Japanese only) http://asiapress.org Asia Press http://www1.odn.ne.jp/watai Watai Takeharu Web Journal (Japanese only) |
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