Charlie Rose Science Series
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03/22/2007
George Packer, Ken Bacon, Zina Abbas
A conversation about the plight of Iraqi refugees
Keywords:
A discussion about the situation in Iraq, the plight of Iraqi refugees, and the role of U.S. involvement in the crisis with Ken Bacon, president of Refugees International, George Packer of "The New Yorker", and Zina Abbas, an Iraqi physician.
DVD
Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Audio
Audio available through Audible.com.
Audio available through Audible.com.
Transcripts
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Transcripts available through Voxant.
packer's comments shed valuable light on what michelle obama says when she explains how she is filled with shame and disappointment with this country's politics. people should take heed when packer and obama offer their expert and gutsy opinions. because i have lived in europe for the past 37 years (to escape paying taxes for war against the vietnamese) i have some comments of my own: everyone, EVERYONE, i know in Europe feels disgust toward the present heavyhandedness of America in the world...some Europeans..they are much better informed than the average US Joe... are polite, but everyone has such deep antipathy for the ruthless lack of respect for the rest of the world, even the rich first-world countries, that the long fall this country has taken will require generations of earnest re-evaluation to begin the upward climb. it is time to eradicate the denial that determines our disgusting comportment.
The bookers at the Charlie Rose Show are phenomenal. I've been working hard to raise awareness about Iraq's refugee crisis, and still, his show with Ken Bacon, George Packer and Zina Abbas is among the best programs all year about the crisis. Although it might be time for an update on the refugee crisis. Among other developments, there's the anticipated final passage of the Kennedy-Smith amendment (the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act), the cables by Amb. Crocker, and the Bush administration's failure to reach its target of resettling 7,000 Iraqi refugees by Oct. 1. To make matters worse, Syria is closing its borders. Iraqis now make up the largest displaced population in the world, and it's time that Americans awakened to the crisis. The partisan mess over the war is obscuring a larger crisis that we have a fundamental responsibility to address, and to rally the world is sharing responsibility for meeting the needs of Iraqis. If we fail to step up, we risk the further destabilization of the entire region. It is long past time to act!
Washington will never officially recognize the refugee crisis in Iraq, which only adds to the destabilization of the region since 2003 because it will be an admission of failure. In the meantime, Iraqis are dying every day, and Americans are paying in blood and funds for this disaster that will never seem to end due to the fact that leading Democratic presidential candidates support an indefinate occupation of Iraq on the pretext that a withdrawal will ultimately lead to total chaos.
This was a good segment on Iraqi refugees. The NY Times Magazine has a long article this week on this issue by Nir Rosen.