Iraqi shoe-thrower's message to the UN

The Iraqi journalist from Al-Baghdadiya television who (in)famously threw his shoes at George Bush might serve jail term for assaulting a foreign head of state. Most Iraqis now consider him a hero for insulting a person who is largely responsible for more chaos in their country.

Muntazer al-Zaidi's first offense earned him a less severe verdict even though he pleaded non-guilty. He said, "Yes, my reaction was natural." He felt he was innocent and he merely represented the frustration felt by most Iraqis toward Bush, who is largely held responsible for the situation in Iraq. "It is the farewell kiss, you dog", shouted al-Zaidi when throwing both his shoes in less than 5 seconds before security forces pinned him on the floor.

Most of the family members feel it's a political decision and they will appeal.

This incident speaks glaringly about the image Bush and other aggressors have in Iraq and the middle-east. The outburst of emotion clearly sends a message to the international community that America's achievement is not the same as Iraq's perception of achievement. The former US president George W. Bush may have been standing next to Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki amidst tight security and might perhaps claim to have the support of the allied forces, but the Iraqis only consider him worthy of the sole of their feet for his role. That's so much to say about the anger toward a distant country whose soldiers are dying to bring some normalcy in a country that wouldn't have meant much had there been potato fields instead of oil wells.

Why isn't Bush's policies directed toward the military junta of Myanmar or the oppressions in Egypt? If this experiment in the middle-east succeeds, the actions of the United States will become even bolder despite the falsity of the statistics upon which it waged a war. The United Nations should play a decisive part in the world affairs. The US cannot dictate the roles of the UN just because it is one of the highest donor countries. Nobody wants an invasionist America today.

Perhaps the shoe-thrower would have felt otherwise if the UN had played a decisive role in his country.