When I began writing these stations in 2002, I was dreaming of returning to an Iraq without Saddam, his children, or the rest of the corrupt group. I wrote with overwhelming hope and a strong belief that if change happened in Iraq, it would create a good, rational, and just nation ruled by one of its best and most honest citizens. Someone whose good origins and high patriotism would prevent him from handing the country over to opportunists, fabricators, and both old and new forgers, those skilled in manipulating the ruler and exploiting his moral and psychological weaknesses to impose their selfish, corrupt ambitions as the foundation of his rule. Eventually, they would become his eyes, ears, tongue, and hands, erecting barriers between him and any noble, honest, or fair individual, leading to a rise in bribery in all its forms, and injustice in all its degrees, and fostering sectarianism and racism. Embezzlement would be seen as cleverness, murder as heroism, and lying as a virtue.

I returned to Iraq in early May 2003, living there for sixteen months, during which I served on the media committee of the Iraq Reconstruction and Development Council, then as secretary of the executive media committee in the Governing Council, and as a member of the Supreme Media Board formed by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. It became clear that the new rulers had no intention of establishing a fair state that impartially distributes rights to all Iraqis without deception, bias, sectarianism, or racism, nor did they plan to compensate us for the misery faced inside and the bitterness experienced abroad. When finishing this narrative in November 2004, I had decided to leave the homeland and stealthily made my way to the airport, and from there returned to exile.

Author: Ibrahim Al-Zubaidi
Publisher: Arab Scientific Publishers - Beirut
Edition Number: 2
Publication Year: 2007
Pages: 255
Volumes: 1
Binding: Paperback
Paper Type: Recycled
ISBN: 9789953872278