Introduction

I'm going to Iraq. I can't believe I'm saying this. After nearly a decade of constant CNN news report on the U.S war in Iraq as well as three decades of regional unrest in general, I'm going to Iraq.

As a dedicated student of International Studies, I felt it my personal duty to set aside safety concerns to pursue the most valuable diplomatic activity in modern political history: Traveling as a Political Act.


First things first, to address the issue of "America's geographical illiteracy", here is Iraq:

http://education.randmcnally.com/classroom/rmc/viewLargerMapImage.do?geoEntityType=Country&geoEntityName=Iraq

Once the center of the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, Iraq has certainly held an important spot in Middle Eastern affairs throughout history. As you can see from the map, Iraq boarders Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait and Iran, many of which have been at war either with or against Iraq at one point or another in history. The details of this complicated alliance/enemy relationship as well as the area's resourcefulness will be explained later in the blog.


Now back to my pre-travel blog. Names like The Gulf War, Iraq War, Iran-Iraq War, Iraqi Freedom, Desert Storm, Desert Shield etc etc have made Iraq the center of world's many important issues. This little desert nation that is barely 3/5 of the size of Texas somehow grabbed the utmost of America's economic, political and military attention for nearly a decade! How is Iraq doing now that the U.S troops have pulled out? I wondered...


Thousands of American men and women went over and never came back from this place. As I planned my journey, I couldn't help but question, will I become the 4871st casualty? Dead journalists are not a rare sight in the world at all. Especially in 2014, when video taped beheading procedures somehow caught a trend among extremists organizations. Nonetheless, I've made my decision. This journey is not for the faint of heart mind you. Any journalist, or high school International Studies student who is worth his salt need to come to Iraq to truly experience this crisis.

TRAVELING AS A POLITICAL ACT enables tourists to come home smarter, not fatter. In order to make travel a political act, one must open his or her current identity to other cultures, religions and political ideas.  When practiced correctly, people of all different backgrounds will be able to relate to and sympathize for issues around the globe.