Angelina Jolie Plays The Battlefield in Iraq
ANGELINA Jolie writes for the Washington Post: “Staying to Help in Iraq – We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact.”
Is grandstanding by the great and good worthwhile?
Who cares if Jolie is benefiting herself? If she can raise an issue, then all to the good? Such is the deference afforded to celebrities that they are now better placed than our elected leaders to comment on politcal matters.
The celebs speak without fear of criticism. And if they get the facts wrong, they can just shrug it off as not their line of expertise. They speak from the heart.
If a politician talks like Jolie they would be snapped and sniped at. They would need facts. Jolie just needs proclamations. If Bono is Mr G9, Angelina Jolie is his significant other.
Says Jolie: “The request is familiar to American ears: “Bring them home.”
But in Iraq, where I’ve just met with American and Iraqi leaders, the phrase carries a different meaning. It does not refer to the departure of U.S. troops, but to the return of the millions of innocent Iraqis who have been driven out of their homes and, in many cases, out of the country.”
She talks of refugees in Iraq:
“More than 2 million people are refugees inside their own country…
An additional 2.5 million Iraqis have sought refuge outside Iraq, mainly in Syria and Jordan….I’m not a security expert, but it doesn’t take one to see that Syria and Jordan are carrying an unsustainable burden. They have been excellent hosts, but we can’t expect them to care for millions of poor Iraqis indefinitely and without assistance from the U.S. or others.”
Syria. That bastion of human rights. Jolie truly is no security expert.
But the bigwigs all want to meet with here. Jolie speaks with Army Gen. David Petraeus and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Do they learn anything from Jolie? Or is the lure of celebrity too big a deal to turn down?
Says Jolie:
“It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.”
She has your attention. The details she leaves to others…
Posted: 28th, February 2008 | In: Celebrities Comments (7) | TrackBack | Permalink
