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IDLE HANDS IN IRAQ Guest Viewpoint By Michael Embrich

Picture a man with little to lose. Picture a man with an abated sense of self-respect and pride. Picture a man who can do little to change his situation or the conclusion that he draws of himself, that of a “useless” person.

This is how close to 70 percent of the able-to-work Iraqi men feel. This is how close to 70 percent of the able-to-work Palestinian men feel.

These two countries seem to have little problem recruiting suicide bombers. These two countries have some of the highest unemployment rates in the world.

Coincidence? I think not.

I think that you can get a good sense of a person’s psyche by putting yourself into his shoes. Have you ever been unemployed? I have, and it is not a good feeling. It is often difficult for an unemployed American to find a job here, where the unemployment rate is 4.2 percent, far less than the rates in Iraq and Palestine.

When I was honorably discharged from the military I applied for unemployment and received six months of benefits. I thought the six months would more than cover the amount of time it would take me to find a job. I was applying to jobs at a fervent rate and trying to get my name out there. The abundance of people looking for work was more than enough reason for me to keep trying my luck.

Before I knew it I had spent six months looking for a job with no luck. My financial situation became ugly. I was no longer able to afford the leisurely lifestyle I had become accustomed to. I was no longer able to meet women and date. I was no longer able to go out to the bar and feel socially accepted by my peers, nor was I able to discuss my job and what I did that made me a productive citizen in my community.

The attrition of my self-esteem over those six months got me to behave in a certain peculiar manner. I was always a leader, and suddenly I began to follow what my cronies were doing. I began to play video games and hanging out. I stopped looking for a job and I started playing basketball everyday down the street at the most popular court in the city. The fact that I had no job and nothing to give people the perception that I “mattered” or that I was a successful person in my society suddenly didn’t matter anymore.

When I made a great play, I got kudos from one of my teammates, who is a doctor. One day after a game, I was invited to a party at his home. This is the social acceptance that I had been yearning for. Basketball took my mind off of my problems, made me feel accepted, and, most importantly, made me feel good about myself. Basketball is extremely popular in my community -- everyone plays, from local successful businessmen to the community ironworker. I bet basketball is as popular in my community as being an insurgent is in a Baghdadi community.

Now, imagine that a man in Baghdad has no job and feels “useless.” Imagine that he gets the same sense of self-gratification as I get from doing what’s “popular,” and by doing it well.

Sectarian violence has become so popular members of the Iraqi police force, including high-ranking ones, are taking part in kidnappings. I can tell you with a great deal of confidence that insurgency and hatred towards different ethnic groups are extremely popular in Iraq. I can tell you that because I am an Iraq War veteran.

Picture getting out of college and working in your desired field. Your life is not great, but you can provide for your family, which is ultimately what counts to most people. Now picture your world shattered, as you lose your job and are no longer able to provide for your family. Your outlook on life becomes bleak at best. You know there is nothing you can do to change your situation. You are promised things will get better by your government but they continue to worsen each day. How long will it be before you commit a crime?

Now, combine being poor and having the skills to change your situation but not having the opportunity to do so. This becomes extremely frustrating -- I know from personal experience. I am not condoning criminal actions, but I am making a case for my point. When something is socially accepted it is not really a crime is it? Basketball in my community is socially accepted, so I play basketball -- it makes me feel good.

Making an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to hurt U.S. troops in Iraq is becoming more socially accepted, so people do it. When they hit an American convoy it makes people feel good and even gives a sense of self–gratification. They’re not even committing violent acts to hurt us anymore – they’re doing it to make themselves feel better.

This brings me to my next topic. Most electricians in Iraq are now in the business of making electrical wire harnesses for IEDs. I know of an electrician in Iraq who lost his job due to the invasion, and gained it back due to the insurgency. How long can a person starve before they start working for the militants?

The question now is not, ”Will one join the insurgency?” but, “When will one join the insurgency?”

When would you? Would you work for someone that you disagree with? If your children were starving, would you? If you were about to lose your house would you? If your wife died from a sickness because you could not afford to purchase medicine for her, would you?

These are the problems the Iraqi people face every single day. This is our news, but it is their reality. This is our war, but this is their fight. This is our occupation, but it is their country. They have to rebuild it and solve their own ethnic strife. We cannot do it for them. Too many lives are being lost on all sides. We need to help them get their citizens employed so they can put down the machine guns and pick up nail guns.

The people of Iraq need something to fill their “idle hands.” You know what they say about “idle hands” -- they are the devils playground. The perfect job to fill Iraqis’ “idle hands” – not American troops’ hands -- is rebuilding Iraq.

Michael Embrich returned from Iraq in June 2003, having been part of the Iraq invasion force. He also served in Afghanistan