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I disagree
Reader comment on item: [Looting:] An Iraqi Tragedy

Submitted by H. Donald Busch (United States), Apr 25, 2003 at 13:03

...The bottom line is that the U.S. government told its troops to guard the Iraqi oil ministry but completely ignored the Museum.  This is in spite of requests they had received as long ago as last fall from scholars all over the world.  Sure, Iraqis did the looting and there can be no excuse for that (although military personnel and journalists are now being implicated as well), but if the Bush administration had done a better job, no one would have been able to loot the museum or burn the library and archives.  But the oil ministry was just more important than the cultural history of our civilization.

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Reader comments (68) on this item

Title By Date
Poverty and oppression [153 words]judy durhamJun 13, 2003 14:48
Whose Heritage? [54 words]Bob KleinApr 27, 2003 12:26
Selective guilt [159 words]A. M. BerlinApr 27, 2003 11:53
Blame America for Everything? [71 words]Ben HoganApr 25, 2003 15:00
⇒ I disagree [108 words]H. Donald BuschApr 25, 2003 13:03
But where is the market for stolen antiquities? [77 words]Gary GoodeApr 25, 2003 08:52
Another Example of Lack of Respect [44 words]Paul M. NevilleApr 24, 2003 21:35
Iraqis are no worse than Americans [293 words]Sara KenneyApr 24, 2003 19:21
Iraqui Looting [59 words]Estelle KreschApr 24, 2003 14:53
Iraqi loss [464 words]Kyle GosnellApr 24, 2003 03:55
Museum Damage Minimal [72 words]J. ZahlerApr 24, 2003 01:40
Leftist Intellectuals: Lazy, Unrealistic and Sloppily Moralistic [131 words]catherine JohnsoApr 23, 2003 22:41
iraqi museum [54 words]orah medzonApr 23, 2003 21:49
Comment to Daniel Braunschvig [228 words]Halina MinadeoApr 23, 2003 20:44
If only the gov't had consulted you first... [188 words]Raid MohammadApr 23, 2003 18:21
LOOTING [84 words]MARY ELLEN DAUBENBERGERApr 23, 2003 17:47
More exceptions than these [39 words]Grayson HillApr 23, 2003 16:46
Which Iraqis Did It? [158 words]Virginia ThogersenApr 23, 2003 16:15
Split Iraq for the sake of its population [175 words]Daniel BraunschvigApr 23, 2003 15:33
Comment to Daniel Braunschvig [39 words]Jacob OuanounouFeb 1, 2006 13:42
Amen [42 words]BrettApr 26, 2007 19:43
Iraq National Museum [129 words]Daksha HowardApr 23, 2003 15:24
Deliberate Plundering [124 words]Ross JohnsonApr 23, 2003 14:58
A terrible tragedy. [174 words]Ben EisenApr 23, 2003 14:58
judging profs [88 words]Adam MargolinApr 23, 2003 14:56
Looting in Baghdad [127 words]joel fishman, phd.Apr 23, 2003 13:02
yes.... [51 words]brian vApr 23, 2003 12:23
What kind of looters have keys? [212 words]Ben ShniperApr 23, 2003 12:12
aw shucks [105 words]Carol RobertsApr 23, 2003 11:43
Good Article, Great Work [111 words]Earl H. FooteApr 23, 2003 11:43
Iraqi Dissent [214 words]Hal WeinsteinApr 23, 2003 11:38
Iraqi road rage [202 words]Harry WatsonApr 23, 2003 10:42
Inside job [66 words]Dr. Ron PollandApr 23, 2003 10:12
It's still our fault [196 words]AndreaApr 23, 2003 09:29
looting done by Saddam's people [109 words]rickApr 23, 2003 07:37
Looters vs Iraqis of Dignity [257 words]Shoshona BiemanApr 23, 2003 07:33
sounds more like us than we do [24 words]clyde wrightApr 23, 2003 04:32
laying the groundwork? [115 words]Greg WhiteApr 23, 2003 04:23
Toward A Clean War? [212 words]Alain Jean-MairetApr 23, 2003 03:42
Planned pillage [111 words]Rosalind FischlApr 23, 2003 03:21
Iraqi Undercurrent of Violence [484 words]Elizabeth CooteApr 23, 2003 03:20
Iraqis looting [50 words]Harald HoffmannApr 23, 2003 01:34
The Arab Blame Game [98 words]Jeff SupowitApr 22, 2003 22:48
iraqi [13 words]david c murphyApr 22, 2003 22:32
Typical Behaviour [29 words]Michael PetersApr 22, 2003 21:52
Great article! [65 words]Leon KeylinApr 22, 2003 21:50
quote more please. [142 words]Marc S. Karlan, M.D.Apr 22, 2003 21:29
Iraqi Tragedy [83 words]Ethel C. FenigApr 22, 2003 18:04
Iraqi nation [102 words]Joseph WechslerApr 22, 2003 18:02
An Iraq Tragedy [27 words]Richard WittrupApr 22, 2003 17:22
Looting libraries [62 words]John LoftusApr 22, 2003 15:25
Loting of museums [49 words]David LubinApr 22, 2003 15:20
Human Behavoir [95 words]Dr. Ron BurgoApr 22, 2003 14:55
Very sad [95 words]FenixApr 22, 2003 14:16
Well said! [106 words]betty ochsApr 22, 2003 13:23
Further on keeping peace [110 words]Ilona MelstradsApr 22, 2003 12:53
Profoundly disturbing analysis: [241 words]Glenn KlotzApr 22, 2003 12:05
Museum looting [132 words]Don CanhamApr 22, 2003 12:01
Barbarism extended beyond the Museum [308 words]Julia ReevesApr 22, 2003 11:53
Another Explanation for Iraqi Looting [337 words]Paul StrohlApr 22, 2003 11:52
Iraqi looting [113 words]Arthur TurnerApr 22, 2003 11:49
An Iraqi Tragedy [55 words]bob hardyApr 22, 2003 11:41
Lets look at the facts [131 words]Susan BradfordApr 22, 2003 11:19
no title [151 words]AlbertApr 22, 2003 11:12
Bravo Dr. Pipes [38 words]Jay A. Lerman, MSIAApr 22, 2003 11:04
Barbarians self-immolate their treasures. [195 words]Joan ArchibaApr 22, 2003 10:35
kudos [21 words]gil kushnerApr 22, 2003 10:19
iraqi self-destruction and looting [62 words]Howard BrownApr 22, 2003 09:37

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

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