US Military: War is Good for Iraqi Teens’ Self-Esteem

I highly doubt war can be positive for anyone’s self-esteem. If anything I think it would damage it!

Oh finally. They’ve actually found one good thing about the war in Iraq! It boosts teenagers self esteem. Well in that case, I fully endorse the war in Iraq. God bless America.

It makes sense if you stop to think about it. When the lives of your family and yourself are many times based on what you do, whether it’s aligning yourself with the Americans, becoming dedicated to the burgeoning sense of patriotism within Iraq, or even joining the insurgents, it stands to reason that young men/women start to realize that their actions have important consequences in these situations. Thus, feeling like you are important and obtaining a greater sense of belonging within a group, regardless of what it is, will foster higher self-esteem.

I should have clarified, some people here only want to keep politics out of the discussion if it pertains to something that is perceived to go against their pro war/pro Bush stance.

Ah yes, Evil Pundit. The “conditions of life in Iraq have improved since the overthrow of Saddam” in every area except for life expectancy, the economy, infrastructure, education, womens’ rights, crime, suicide, utilities, freedom of religion. Yay!

Any day now they’ll be naming that square in Baghdad after George W. Bush!

An interesting story, but IMHO the parenthetical sidenote in the intro was a little strrong, Alex. War isn’t fun for anybody; that one struck too close to home, for me at least.

What a misleading post title. Shame on you!

The study results are accurate. So what if it was funded by the US military? Don’t you think that if your country was invaded, your home constantly under threat, your life so frequently on the wire every time you step foot in the street that you would build a strong identity with your homeland and people?

Well, if this is the case, it’s well worth a trillion dollars. Right? For the kids and all.

“…the fact is that for the vast majority of Iraqis, life has improved since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein…”

The fact is, that this is certainly not the case.

I would doubt the casual relationship between war and improvement with self esteem unless they found a correlation with populations in other war torn areas (e.g. Darfur, Kosovo, etc.). I would think that Islam would play a key role in their development of their self esteem. Also, I would be interested to see a follow up interview with the same teens (assuming any are still alive) to see if their self esteem remained elevated with the extent of the continued hostilities.

Who says life improved for Iraqis after the overthrow of saddam?

Are you out of your mind!!!!!?????

It is a fact that even the neo-fascist Bush regime accepts that living conditions in Iraq have deteriorated since the fall of Saddam. From electricity and gas availability, to rampant extremist gamgs, the war in Iraq has been a veritable disaster for everyone involved, ESPECIALLY the Iraqi people.

Most Iraqis say life was better under Saddam.

If democracy is forced on people, it will not work. It has to come from within. The US doesn’t care though. We just want “free trade” and “government contracts” for our multinational corporate cabal to milk from every country we invade and the US taxpayers.

I remember a report that concluded that the Inquisition wasn’t all that bad. It was funded by the Vatican.

I remember a study that said the healthiest drink to consume after a workout was chocolate milk. It was funded by the Dairy Council.

I’m starting to see a pattern here.

Alex – you don’t have to apologize for your opinions or what you write, and neither does anyone else here. I did comment on it, but no, it doesn’t offend me.

As with most things in politics, the war in Iraq isn’t a black or white or even shades of gray issue – it’s more like the colors of oil swirling in a pool of water. Yes, we never should have started the war in the first place. Yes, even though our government did it with military and economic benefits in mind, the military has tried it’s best to protect and rebuild Iraq for it’s people. Due to a ridiculous desire to make the world see us as liberators instead of conquerers, the occupation was botched from day one. The problem now is that the terrorists (by that term, I don’t mean “the enemy” I mean forces that a) don’t wear uniforms b) act with only fear as a goal rather than tactics, and c) deliberately target civilians) target the public utilities, and target civilians who help our soldiers. They’re not targeting members of our military, they’re targeting the Iraqis who join the police force. Why the world doesn’t show 1/10th of the hatred it has for the US on these terrorists (as they’re the ones who are murdering people and destroying the country,) I don’t know.

So far, there have been many parallels between Iraq and the Vietnam war. If – as so many want us to – the US simply pulls out, then – like after the Vietnam War – everyone who tried to help rebuild their country, everyone who was proud enough to hold up stained fingers after voting in their democracy – will most likely be slaughtered. (Remember all of those who were killed for helping the US after Desert Storm?) So yes, we created the problem, but we are trying – at the cost of our lives and our economy – to solve the problem. I don’t understand what other solution there can be.

war is so primitive. i’m moving to switzerland.

Don’t be afraid to speak against the Troops and don’t be dumb to support them. You can’t be that blind not to see the ruthless carnage, you can’t be so deaf not to hear the senselessness of conflict and not ever so tasteless not to devour the absurdity of your own words. Rise above reason or at least try to you dumb ass!