For those who have followed this era in history, it is nothing new. But, the so-called "average" citizen is now asking questions. A growing number of U.S. citizens are questioning the administration’s version of the resistance as "dead-enders" or a bunch of "disgruntled" people who are fighting democracy.

It’s about time.

Just the other night, while talking to a friend about the resistance, he said, "Now I know what Saddam meant by "the Mother of all Battles." In other words, the statement that Saddam Hussein made on January 17, 1991 did not apply solely to the battle that had just begun.

The current phase of the Mother of all Battles is more than a population attempting to kick out unwanted invaders. It is a definitive battle in the history of the world against imperialism, ethnocentrism, and deceit.

Look around and you will see there is support for the resistance all over the world. In Brazil, Iraqi resistance clubs have sprung up. There is even an Iraqi resistance comic book series. Go to google and input "Iraqi resistance" in the image portion of the search engine and you will see U.S. citizens in Detroit, or in Pittsburgh, or in New York, holding pro-Iraqi resistance signs. This battle has worldwide implications.

But, the U.S. keeps saying that things are going well. Dick (appropriately-named) Cheney stated a few weeks ago that it was in its death throes. Since then, the numbers of casualties have escalated. What’s going on?

U.S. commanders in the field are sounding negative. They are speaking about the resilience and the ingenuity of the freedom fighters. A year ago, we never heard such words come out of the mouths of U.S. military personnel.

There is a great problem for the U.S. Increasing numbers of U.S. citizens are calling for the U.S. to leave Iraq. The administration says it will in time. However, this is a lie. Things have been put in motion that can not be stopped or put back. For instance, 14 new U.S. military bases are being constructed in Iraq. And, thousands of U.S. civilians have set up shop in Iraq. The facts on the ground show the duplicity of the government’s statements about leaving Iraq.

The problem is that the resistance is getting stronger. More U.S. (military and civilian) deaths are occurring. More stooge Iraqi personnel (police, national guards, etc.) are being destroyed. In the past 24 hours, 75 Iraqis have been killed and hundreds wounded in attacks. And, seven U.S. Marines have been killed in the past 48 hours.

The term "quagmire" was often used to describe Vietnam. When it was hinted that Iraq may turn into a quagmire, the hair on the backs of the necks of administration officials bristled. "You can’t compare Vietnam to Iraq," they often shrieked. Today, the term quagmire is precise.

Let’s look at this from an Arab point of view. A couple of hours ago, an Iraqi-American friend visited me. He called the occupation and resistance, "bal-la al mouss." Then he explained, "This means someone who has a razor in his throat. He can not spit it out and he can not swallow it." A great analogy. I would say, "fucked if he does and fucked if he doesn’t." Which ever of the three terms one chooses, it is apparent that the U.S. is cornered in Iraq and will be for some time.

The resistance has led many people to write about its origins. I have stated many times my assessment that it was planned well before March 2003 by the Ba'ath leadership. However, some armchair leftists have said that it had nothing to do with the Ba’athists and was an impromptu uprising. They do not take into account, however, that it is well-funded, well-organized and well-armed. These factors are not present in any resistance that springs up out of nowhere.

On July 26, 2005, uruknet.info, a leading website for highlighting "information from occupied Iraq," ran an interview with Salah al Mukhtar, Iraq’s last ambassador to Vietnam. In it, he goes into detail about the organizing of, the actions of, and the future of the resistance. It is by far the most astute look I have seen about the resistance. Click on the link at the end of this article to see the interview in its entirety in an PDF file. You can also save the file to disk on your computer.

On April 8, 2003, Mohamed Sahaff, the Iraqi Information Minister, was holding a press conference in Baghdad. A reporter pointed out that U.S. troops were already in Baghdad. Sahaff looked and spotted a U.S. tank and stated, "We’ve got them right where we want them." Then he walked away. Despite universal ridicule about his statement, Sahaff stuck to his proclamation. Nobody is laughing today about the Iraqi Information Minister’s declaration.

Interview with Salah al-Mukhta

click here to download file