News & Events
Why some Iraqis would rather try their luck under ISIL
By Susannah George, The Global Post, June 15, 2014
Zaid Al-Ali, a former legal advisor to the United Nations in Iraq, says he is not surprised by the initial warm welcome ISIL is getting in Mosul. He credits the group’s decision restore freedom of movement to the city. “Those checkpoints were a real pain for everyone,” said Al-Ali, who is also the author of the recently published book, “The Struggle for Iraq’s Future: How Corruption, Incompetence and Sectarianism Have Undermined Democracy.”
He says it wasn’t just that many considered security measures unnecessary or that they caused traffic, but they were a “constant reminder that you weren’t free to go about your daily business in your own city.” But Al-Ali says he doesn’t expect Mosul residents to stay happy with ISIL rule for long. “It’s all just fresh. It’s very, very new. People haven’t had a chance to really start chafing under the rule of [ISIL]. That’s gonna come, but its a few days or a few weeks away.”