This Esquire article about “Omar Mohammed” by Daniel Voll is beyond fascinating. Beyond reporting the personal experiences of a man determined to make his country a better place—not to mention resolved to redeem himself in a number of ways, whether he actually needs to or not—it gives a good, if all too brief, look at how the United States treats its allies in Iraq, both well and badly.
Of course, this somehow led me to reading the Wikipedia entry on Saddam Hussein, about whom I had known virtually nothing. My favorite part (and to add some levity to the Esquire article)?:
Saddam developed a reputation for liking expensive goods, such as his diamond-coated Rolex wristwatch, and sent copies of them to his friends around the world. To his ally Kenneth Kaunda Saddam once sent a Boeing 747 full of presents — rugs, televisions, ornaments. Kaunda sent back his own personal magician.
A MAGICIAN!
[via Instapaper and Tightwind]
