THE ROLE OF EXILES IN POST-SADDAM IRAQ
Background, Activities and Critical Analysis
By Doug DuBrin, an English/History teacher and editor/ writer.

Background:

The U.S. has sought support of Iraqi exiles living in the U.S. and elsewhere in its efforts to combat those loyal to Saddam Hussein's government and to rebuild the war-ravaged nation. To help with these efforts, the American military has formed the Free Iraqi Forces and the Free Iraqi Fighting Forces to work with coalition troops within Iraq. (See NewsHour Extra article below).

The Free Iraqi Forces work with so-called Civil Affairs units, and focus on helping to restore damaged infrastructure such as water and power supplies and providing an invaluable communication and cultural link to the civilian population.

The Free Iraqi Fighting Forces were originally created in 1998 by the U.S. government and recently recruited many of its members from the large Iraqi population in Detroit, Michigan.

Both FIF groups received military training in Hungary in order to participate in the current effort to rebuild the war-torn country.

But all the exiles returning to Iraq may not be uniformly well received. After the recent ouster of Afghanistan's Taliban government with U.S. assistance, many exiles chose to return to participate in the newly formed democracy. Some Afghanis have viewed their return skeptically, though, since many of the exiled population have reemerged in powerful and lucrative positions. (See The Christian Science Monitor excerpt below.) Some appear feel that these exiles left during difficult times and are returning now to reap the benefits after the hardships have abated.

In Iraq, there is a great deal of enthusiasm on the part of the exile community to return to their homeland to lend assistance. Whether that enthusiasm will alleviate any resentment held by those who endured Hussein's regime remains to be seen.

Time: 20 - 30 minutes

Materials:

Correlation to National Standards

Procedure:

1. Begin by providing for the students two relevant definitions:
   
   · exile: a person living away from his/her native country or community for a prolonged period of time, usually as a result of being banished or forced out, but sometimes self-imposed
   
   · refugee: a person who flees from his/her country or community to seek safety or security elsewhere, especially during wartime or during political or religious persecution
   
   
   
   
   
2. Then show students the NewsHour transcript with Iraqi-Americans, or provide transcript of it to read as a class. ( Click here for streaming video )
   
   
3. Next, have the students carefully read the Online NewsHour article on the exiles in Iraq, either independently or in pairs.
   
   
4. Afterwards, have the students work in pairs or small groups to address the following question: What could be some of the obstacles that exiles may encounter when working with the Iraqi civilian population? Consider in your answer:
   
   · How might exiles be received after its members have lived in the U.S. for such a long period of time?
   
   · What might the Iraqis feel about the exiles who were not present during the recent coalition invasion in relation to those who fought alongside the coalition?
   
   · If the Iraqi exiles wish to permanently return to their native land, how should they be treated by the people? Should they immediately be restored to their previous roles in society? Should they be considered outcasts? Heroes?
   
   
5. Discuss the responses as a class in relation to the excerpt on Afghan exiles from The Christian Science Monitor. Encourage students to voice any parallels they see between the obstacles in the return of exiles to Afghanistan and the possible challenges faced by the FIF in Iraq's rebuilding.
   
   " After years in the West, hundreds of exiles are returning to Afghanistan and embracing a home country that some have known only through their parents. But while Afghans here have welcomed many of the returnees, tension is building in the workplace between the locals and the homecoming exiles," Fariba Nawa wrote in The Christian Science Monitor. "Diaspora Afghans return with their degrees and multilingual skills, taking high-powered, high-paid jobs that locals say should go to Afghans who didn't flee when the going got tough. Exiles reply that they are more qualified for the jobs, and that they have given up Western luxuries to serve Afghanistan."

   http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0626/p07s01-wosc.htm (for a link to the complete article)

   
   
   

Extension idea :

After the students have gained a solid foundation on the current role of exiles in Iraq's restructuring, assign any of the following for either extended in-class activities or for at-home assignments:

1. Seek out someone in your local community who has either been exiled from his/her native country or is living as a political refugee. (Most cities have organizations dedicated to refugee assistance, such as the Red Cross or International Friends.) Arrange for an interview with that person in order to attempt to understand the living conditions under which he/she was living and their impact on him/her. Share with the class the interview as well as the insights you developed as a result.
   
   
2. Research various refugee and exile communities currently residing the U.S. (You may wish to start with large exile populations from countries such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Cuba and China.) Then address the following:
   
   · What parallels do you see among the groups in how they view their native lands?
   · What political and/or economic realities usually caused the exile of many in that community?
   · What differences are there among the specific groups? Consider language, culture, education and economics.
   · Why do so many refugees come to the United States?
   · How have various groups adjusted, both in general and specific terms, to living in the U.S.? What have been the chief obstacles?
   
   
3. Research the history of political exiles or refugees living in the U.S. Questions to guide your research may include:
   
   · During what historical periods did the greatest number of exiles or refugees come to the U.S.? What can you conclude based on the statistics?
   
   · Have certain nations been given priority over others as far as exiles or refugees are concerned? In other words, has the government encouraged some people to come to the U.S. and discouraged or prevented others? If this is so, why might this be?
   
   · What has been the official policy for political exiles or refugees wanting to flee to the U.S. during or after the following events:
   
   a. World war II (including the Holocaust)
   b. The Soviet Union under communist rule
   c. Castro's Cuba
   d. The Vietnam War
   
   

National Standards:

National Council of the Social Studies
For detailed explanations, please consult
www.socialstudies.org/standards/teachers/vol1/home.shtml

Thematic Standards

Standard 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Standard 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
Standard 9: Global Connections
Standard 10: Civic Ideals and Practices

Disciplinary Standards

Standard 1: History
Standard 3: Civics and Government

Author Doug DuBrin taught Social Studies and Literature at the Arizona School for the Arts for 4 years. Before that he taught at the Near North Montessori School and the Monroe Middle School in Rochester, NY. He has a BA from the University of Rochester and a MA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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