Thoughts on the Security Barrier in Baghdad & The Politics of Walls

I was only ten years old when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. I was helping my older brother deliver newspapers when I heard the news. Although I knew little about the complex nature of political conflicts, my young mind instinctually understood the meaning found in the stories and pictures that filled the front page of our local newspaper. The pictures of joy filled Berliners tearing down the wall that had seperated them for so many decades depicted nothing less than a great a victory of for hope.

Today, I believe that the Berlin Wall symbolized the division of Germany - and Europe - by militant proponents of capitalism and communism. Many say that the fall of the Berlin Wall - and of communism in general -  marked the victory of free market ideology over communism. I prefer to see the peaceful revolutions of the late 1980's and early 1990's as a rejection of the politics of division, fear, and tyranny that typified global politics during the Cold War. When the wall fell, it showed that Germans remained united despite years of rhetoric designed to make them fear and hate those on the other side of wall. The end of the segregation of Berlin was a victory for humanity as a whole.

But the fall of the Berlin wall has not brought an end to the politics of walling. Israel continues to construct security barriers in the West Bank and Gaza strip despite opposition from the United Nations and the International Court of Justice. Israeli claims that these security "fences" - are meant to prevent terrorist attacks by Palestinian extremisists.

But opponents of these barriers say that they infringe upon the rights of entire communities. The barriers have seperated some Palestinian farmers their traditional farmlands. They have also greatly hindered the economic livelihood of many Palestinians by preventing access to meaningful jobs in Israel and by providing an obstacle to the free movement of goods and services. Opponents of the wall also see the growth of these barriers as a way for Israel to occupy more and more Palestinian territory, thereby securing new lands for Israeli settlements. Often the most fertile lands are located on the Israeli side of a barrier. The Red Cross and many other international organizations oppose the construction of these barriers. Even the top court in Israel has gone so far as to say that parts of the wall must be re-routed in order to avoid human rights violations.

The United States is constructing a fence along its border with Mexico. The stated purpose of the fence is to reduce illegal immigration and prevent terrorists from crossing the border. But the fence will also prevent impoverished Mexicans from pursuing economic opportunities in the United States. It will also diminish the number of affordable, seasonable laborers. The economic viability of many businesses hinges upon the availibility of the these cheap, migrant workers. 

Contemporary security barriers often seperate the privileged from the unpriviledged.  Often  these divisions are based upon differences in nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, and/or class. Barriers limit access to vital economic resources and secure them for exclusive use by a privileged population. Often barriers create impoverished ghettos out of once vibrant communities.

It is within this context that the United States began constructing a new security barrier around a Sunni community located in the Adhamiya district of Baghdad. The U.S. military has stated that the barrier will protect Sunnis from attacks by Shiite insurgent groups and militias. But the barrier would also limit the free movement of Iraqis of all ethinicities and religious creeds. Individuals living within a secured community can expect long lines at checkpoints as they try to reach work, friends, and family on the other side. The flow of goods into a secured community will also be limited, and merchants will seek to do business elsewhere. It will be the population of the community that will suffer, not insurgent groups. Militants will simply shift their actions to a less secure location, as they so often do in Iraq.

Sunni Iraqis have mounted protests against the barrier. Sunnis are afraid that they will be marginalized by the U.S. backed Shiite dominated government. They see the construction of a security barrier as an affirmation of their worst fears.  Luckily the U.S. may abandon the effort due to opposition from Iraq's prime minister.

If construction of the barriers in Israel and Iraq are halted it will be a victory for everyday Sunnis, Shiites, Palestinians, and Israelis. While governments and militant groups battle and spout hate filled rhetoric, the vast majority of the people who live in these conflict zones go on with their daily lives. Without security barriers, the vast majority of Israelis and Palestinians,  and Shiites and Sunnies will continue to work together, share economic resources, build friendships, and interact peacefully . Separation is not the answer, unification is.

Governments should spend more resources on projects that will build positive relationships between politically seperated peoples. When human beings are connected in a mutually beneficial way, they will forge friendships and cooperate. A co-worker you eat lunch with everyday is more likely to be a friend than a foe. A cafe owner will not care if a customer is Shiite or Sunni, so long as they brought money to pay for their purchase.  Israeli and Palestinian parents who watch their children play together may have second thoughts about their own prejudices. Security barriers prevent  these simple interactions. They prevent the seeds of peace from sprouting by portraying militant groups as the primary actors in a community.

Barriers attempt to prevent people from reaching each other, and they allow governments to spread divisive messages and lies about the "enemy" hidden behind graffiti covered walls. But as the case of the Berlin Wall shows, everyday people will find a way to reach through these barriers and establish peace amongst themselves long before governments and militant forces do the same.