It is this bureaucracy which leads to her entry on March 15, 2003: "Tonight…I broadcast naked in the dark." Why? She had managed to hold on to her satellite phone and was broadcasting (illegally) from her hotel room. For her safety she decided to broadcast naked in order to buy a little more time should Iraqi troops come by looking for contraband, including phones. She figured that she could responded to a knock on the door by saying that she needed to put on some clothes, thereby buying time to hide the phone. Since she was an old woman (See above.), she figured this would work well. She never had to test her theory.
Her diary is interspersed with emails which her husband, Vint Lawrence, sent to keep their friends updated on her welfare. These "Brenda Bulletins" are named after the comic strip character Brenda Starr. Garrels was first called Brenda by an NPR colleague near Grozny, Chechnya. She "likes Brenda. It gives her a needed distance, a character to play to, and allows humor to seep into situations which, if reported straight, might well bring tears."
Her diary is interspersed with emails which her husband, Vint Lawrence, sent to keep their friends updated on her welfare. These "Brenda Bulletins" are named after the comic strip character Brenda Starr. Garrels was first called Brenda by an NPR colleague near Grozny, Chechnya. She "likes Brenda. It gives her a needed distance, a character to play to, and allows humor to seep into situations which, if reported straight, might well bring tears."
The entry for January 29, 2003 is prophetic: "Saddam Hussein remains in control and his government remains defiant. But the views of many [citizens]…make it clear that they want an end to Saddam's brutal hold, but they're also afraid of war and subsequent civil conflict if he goes. And while many say they would welcome outside intervention, these very same people don't believe President Bush's promises that he has Iraq's interests at heart."
In January 2003 she reports further that the "slipshod planning in Washington and political mistakes in Baghdad become clear." The U.S. planners assumed "their vision of a liberal state would be eagerly embraced by an ethnically divided, overwhelmingly Islamic country." Leadership is either by U.S. Forces exerting control without legitimacy or by a ruling council (handpicked by the U.S.) with neither control nor legitimacy. The entry for 8/17/03 provides Garrels' analysis of the errors and problems which continue to haunt and plague the U.S. - Iraqi relationship. Bad public relations, failure to involve Iraqis in presenting the news, failure to stop the insurgents and their chaos.
In January 2003 she reports further that the "slipshod planning in Washington and political mistakes in Baghdad become clear." The U.S. planners assumed "their vision of a liberal state would be eagerly embraced by an ethnically divided, overwhelmingly Islamic country." Leadership is either by U.S. Forces exerting control without legitimacy or by a ruling council (handpicked by the U.S.) with neither control nor legitimacy. The entry for 8/17/03 provides Garrels' analysis of the errors and problems which continue to haunt and plague the U.S. - Iraqi relationship. Bad public relations, failure to involve Iraqis in presenting the news, failure to stop the insurgents and their chaos.
Let her driver/minder (and ultimately a trusted and valued friend) provide the most fitting and telling coda to the story. Amer says, "This is a very unhappy place caught between the past and a very uncertain future." His anger at the U.S. occupation has grown. "Don't be mad at me," he says [to Garrels], "but I cannot accept your troops."
If you've followed the events leading to the U.S. Invasion of Iraq and since, you won't find much new here for the big picture. But, if God is in the details, you will be riveted by the day-to-day accumulation of the small details of Iraqi life as war becomes more and more inevitable. You will more clearly understand why citizens of many stripes continue to fight against their liberators. Naked in Baghdad is a must read.
If you've followed the events leading to the U.S. Invasion of Iraq and since, you won't find much new here for the big picture. But, if God is in the details, you will be riveted by the day-to-day accumulation of the small details of Iraqi life as war becomes more and more inevitable. You will more clearly understand why citizens of many stripes continue to fight against their liberators. Naked in Baghdad is a must read.
