Even War Becomes Routine: Denying the War/Questioning the West

Within Baghdad Diary,  Nuha al-Radi's observations of the war from a civilian standpoint produce a compelling commentary upon the war that shows how war becomes something distant and unfathomable even to those who are experiencing it around them.  While the American government propagated the idea that the invasion of Iraq would be swift and unchallenged, it becomes evident within the earliest portions of the narrative that this was merely propaganda.  Al-Radi highlights by the tenth day of the war that the continuing strife would not be resolved as readily as the American government assured.  Combined with the diminishing water and food supplied that al-Radi speaks of, the speed of the war increased with such fervor that few people would have been prepared to deal with the consequences of the war.  When al-Radi's family member comments that the family should take a train out of Baghdad, al-Radi quickly asks why he would even think the trains were still running.  It becomes evident early on that no one was prepared for the war.  

Within al-Radi's family, the sense of denial is rampant.  The family throws a party for al-Radi's birthday that involves numerous neighbors and family members from Baghdad.  Al-Radi herself comments on the seventh day that, "The worst has happened--beer without ice".  Also, the image of Iraqi's bartering over a stray bomb that fell and did not explode within a hotel courtyard and their desire to keep the bomb as a souvenir further illustrate a denial of the war's occurrence.  Only as supplies run out, access to the outer world is cut off (via the destruction of bridges, lack of transportation, etc), and a system of supply trade emerges within Baghdad do the civilians begin to realize the impact of the war.

Throughout the text, a dialogue of difference emerges as al-Radi questions her position and feelings towards the Western world.  Early on, al-Radi asks if her family should flee to India and comments that Iraqis experience less oppression there than elsewhere.  Combined with the images of shelters, bridge destructions, and increased ghettoization within Baghdad, al-Radi's opinion of the West falls into ill favor.  As the war progresses, al-Radi's opinion of the West becomes more and more negatively influenced.  This raises numerous questions regarding the true intention of Western forces within Iraq. 

The most fascinating portion of the diary revolves around the dreams that al-Radi recounts throughout.  Images of bread trees, drying gardens, and soldiers marching down Haifa Street permeate al-Radi's premonition-like dreams.  Perhaps this is a location within the text that we could analyze using post-colonialism as a lens along within a Freudian or psychological perspective.  Overall, I find the reoccurring allusions to Western culture to be the most fascinating thematic issues within the diary.  Before the bombings become unquestionably violent, al-Radi compares the sound of the falling bombs to the music of Philip Glass.  Although this phenomena diminishes as the novel progresses, tracing the connections between the forward motion of the war, the references to Western culture, and changing attitudes towards the occupation would reveal how the war does not effect people as a binary but how it inspires a series of complex, multifaceted reactions.