Ideas Network audio interview with Noam Chomsky

U.S. Foreign Policy and Iraq, with Joy Cardin (October 19, 2005).

An excerpt:

One of the consequences [of the US-British sanctions] was to lead to a religious revival in what had been a rather secular society, with a secular constitution in fact. But in desperation people just turn to mosques. And that has increased sharply after the invasion. The invasion just had this disastrous effect on the society. Veteran correspondent Patrick Cockburn who knows Iraq very well (and incidentally he is one of the few journalists who lives outside the protected green zone) thinks this is one of the worst military catastrophes in history, and others agree. In those conditions there has been a sharp increase in commitment to the one institution that people can sort of grab on to, which are the mosques. And in fact the voting corresponded to that. They voted the way religious parties instructed them to. [interview begins at 2:03]

- posted by Pablo @ 6:39 PM