Iraq: Voices From the Streets

As of mid-April, with America at war with Iraq, much of the speculation in Iraq: Voices From the Streets turns out to be rather prescient. Filmed in September 2002, when Saddam Hussein invited people from all over the world to attend a conference on peace, this brief documentary features interviews with Iraqi government officials (such as deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz), Iraqi citizens, and various conference attendees, including members of a U.S. congressional delegation. The "voices" offer up several opinions: the Iraqi government officials argue that Bush wants war, whether or not the UN inspectors find any weapons of mass destruction; the Iraqi "man on the street" says that the decision to remove Saddam Hussein should rest with the Iraqi people, not the U.S. or the United Nations; one of the U.S. congressmen points out that striking the first blow against any nation is against the moral foundation of the United States (in hindsight, apparently not); while others say that control of Iraq's oil supplies is at the heart of Bush's rhetoric. Although brief, this program offers viewers a lot of food for thought, while also presenting a seldom-seen glimpse of everyday Iraqi life. And while its 'pro peace' bias turned out to be the path not taken, this is still a valuable contemporary document. Suer to be a popular addition, this is highly recommended for both public and academic library collections. Aud: C, P. (J. Carlson)