With all respect to Dan Drezner, if it takes Angelina Jolie to attract attention to the plight of Iraqi refugees and displaced persons, then blessings upon Angelina Jolie. There's hardly an Arab newspaper or Western wire service which hasn't run a picture of Jolie's visit to Baghdad to raise awareness of the issue. That's a welcome change for a humanitarian disaster and a major political issue which rarely gets the attention it deserves. In the US debate, when it comes up it is usually over the marginal issue of whether America is granting visas to a few thousand former employees. The real issue is the 4-5 million Iraqis which the UN estimates have been displaced since 2003.
Great, 4 million people suffering can't generate a story that anyone would listen to, but one Hollywood star can. That makes me feel proud to be part of this planet. (/end sarc)
Posted by: LT Nixon | February 08, 2008 at 02:50 PM
Then again, when isn't Angelina Jolie splashed all over Arab newspapers?
Posted by: toasterhead | February 11, 2008 at 06:41 AM