Angelina Jolie: Stay the course in Iraq

Jay

the fool on the hill
Joined
Dec 11, 2005
Messages
11,278
Location
Aurora, IL
Staying to Help in Iraq

We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact.

By Angelina Jolie
Thursday, February 28, 2008; 1:15 PM

The request is familiar to American ears: "Bring them home."

But in Iraq, where I've just met with American and Iraqi leaders, the phrase carries a different meaning. It does not refer to the departure of U.S. troops, but to the return of the millions of innocent Iraqis who have been driven out of their homes and, in many cases, out of the country.

In the six months since my previous visit to Iraq with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this humanitarian crisis has not improved. However, during the last week, the United States, UNHCR and the Iraqi government have begun to work together in new and important ways.

We still don't know exactly how many Iraqis have fled their homes, where they've all gone, or how they're managing to survive. Here is what we do know: More than 2 million people are refugees inside their own country -- without homes, jobs and, to a terrible degree, without medicine, food or clean water. Ethnic cleansing and other acts of unspeakable violence have driven them into a vast and very dangerous no-man's land. Many of the survivors huddle in mosques, in abandoned buildings with no electricity, in tents or in one-room huts made of straw and mud. Fifty-eight percent of these internally displaced people are younger than 12 years old.

An additional 2.5 million Iraqis have sought refuge outside Iraq, mainly in Syria and Jordan. But those host countries have reached their limits. Overwhelmed by the refugees they already have, these countries have essentially closed their borders until the international community provides support.

I'm not a security expert, but it doesn't take one to see that Syria and Jordan are carrying an unsustainable burden. They have been excellent hosts, but we can't expect them to care for millions of poor Iraqis indefinitely and without assistance from the U.S. or others. One-sixth of Jordan's population today is Iraqi refugees. The large burden is already causing tension internally.

The Iraqi families I've met on my trips to the region are proud and resilient. They don't want anything from us other than the chance to return to their homes -- or, where those homes have been bombed to the ground or occupied by squatters, to build new ones and get back to their lives. One thing is certain: It will be quite a while before Iraq is ready to absorb more than 4 million refugees and displaced people. But it is not too early to start working on solutions. And last week, there were signs of progress.

In Baghdad, I spoke with Army Gen. David Petraeus about UNHCR's need for security information and protection for its staff as they re-enter Iraq, and I am pleased that he has offered that support. General Petraeus also told me he would support new efforts to address the humanitarian crisis "to the maximum extent possible" -- which leaves me hopeful that more progress can be made.

UNHCR is certainly committed to that. Last week while in Iraq, High Commissioner António Guterres pledged to increase UNHCR's presence there and to work closely with the Iraqi government, both in assessing the conditions required for return and in providing humanitarian relief.

During my trip I also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has announced the creation of a new committee to oversee issues related to internally displaced people, and a pledge of $40 million to support the effort.

My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.

Today's humanitarian crisis in Iraq -- and the potential consequences for our national security -- are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won't explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?

What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made. In fact, we should step up our financial and material assistance. UNHCR has appealed for $261 million this year to provide for refugees and internally displaced persons. That is not a small amount of money -- but it is less than the U.S. spends each day to fight the war in Iraq. I would like to call on each of the presidential candidates and congressional leaders to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy.

As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.

It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.

Angelina Jolie, an actor, is a UNHCR goodwill ambassador.
 
I think I speak for everyone when I say LOL.
Her rhetoric is nice enough.
It's also grounded nowhere near reality.
 
Too Long, Didn't Read.

That being said, she slept with a guy named "Billy-Bob" and got his name tattooed on herself. I don't think she has the best judgment.
 
Too Long, Didn't Read.

That being said, she slept with a guy named "Billy-Bob" and got his name tattooed on herself. I don't think she has the best judgment.

Don't forget the vial of blood around her neck.

Freak.
 
What the fuck qualifies her to comment on things like this?

"oh I looked at some huts now I know how to fix the problems"
 
She needs to shut her fucking twat and stop commenting on things she has no expertise in.

I can't blame her though... if the UN gave me a UN passport and made me a UN ambassador solely based on my shitty parts in shitty movies, it would go to my head too and I'd start expressing opinion on such matters which are totally beyond me.

She isn't even attractive, looks like some weird alien. The only thing she has going for her are the lips, which are frankly a bit much for me. 35% of her face is lips.
 
You guys didn't know that being in movies gave a person a degree in sociology, politics and economics? :roll:
 
Famous people need to shut the fuck up and die.

Why is George Fucking Clooney on the cover of TIME Magazine? The more I see his smug mug the more I feel less respect toward him as an actor and a human being. Famous people need to stop imposing what they think are their goddamn morals on us plebians, and especially people who nobody takes seriously like Angelina Jolie. Why is she even allowed to blather her vapid thoughts? Fuck off and burn in a pit of hell, for fuck's sake.
 
^ Blake, don't even start me on George Clooney. I try and judge him objectively, but he is definitely in the top 5 of Hollywood's most overrated members, both in terms of his acting abilities and looks. He is unremarkable in every way so far as I can see. Heck, he wasn't even in moves until the mid 90s.

And I'm tired of hearing about his mansion on Lake Como. That's all he says about his personal life on talk shows.
 
Oh, and he's older than my father and apparently still a "sex symbol". Botox really works miracles, huh? But that's just subjective, anyway. :roll:

If Patrick Fucking Dempsey ever starts to talk about politics, I'm setting his house as well as his parents on fire.
 
Woah. Why so much backlash on a person who is just trying to help out and do some good work for the people in Iraq?
 
Woah. Why so much backlash on a person who is just trying to help out and do some good work for the people in Iraq?

Because her opinion is useless and we can't take her seriously to begin with?

Then again, that's an Ad hominem argument, so nevermind, scratch that. Personally though, I hate it when celebrities carp on and on about causes they know little about, partly to make themselves look better and partly to pander to organizations that might be misguided in the first place. I used to think George Clooney was cool, but his constant one-sided harping of "Z0MG FREE TIBET" trivializes an important issue that he just doesn't have enough experience with.
 
I tried to read the article, but I kept envisioning her tits when she lezzed out in Gia.
 
Why aren't we doing more? Hell, if the surge is working and all, why not allocate even more US budget to fight the good fight? 500 billion? 1000 billion? Can we even put a price tag on freedom? I don't think so. I am being as serious as I am sarcastic. If we want the job done right, then let's do it right. It's bee five fucking years. Let's start kicking some ass.
 
Because her opinion is useless and we can't take her seriously to begin with?

Then again, that's an Ad hominem argument, so nevermind, scratch that. Personally though, I hate it when celebrities carp on and on about causes they know little about, partly to make themselves look better and partly to pander to organizations that might be misguided in the first place. I used to think George Clooney was cool, but his constant one-sided harping of "Z0MG FREE TIBET" trivializes an important issue that he just doesn't have enough experience with.

The problem with ad hominem attacks is that they occasionally bring up completely valid points. It's the same with reductio ad Hitlerum.
 
Top