By Ramzi Kysia

Published in the April/May issue of Left Turn magazine

Have you ever been blessed by a beggar?

Strolling near Baghdad’s Foreign Residence Office is an other-worldly experience. Foreign businessmen rush about to extend their visas at the office. A UN hotel in the neighborhood completes the international presence. “Fancy” restaurants line crumbling sidewalks, catering to the foreigners and what remains of Iraq’s middle class - offering elaborate, multi-course meals at $2 per person. So many faces, so many people, each with their own hopes and their own history. What are they thinking? What do they dream of?

The only face America sees is Saddam Hussein’s. Are we looking hard enough?