I thought this is very interesting to show the plight of every day people in Iraq.

Jim Martin

To me this seems like a logical step taken by the government. I am not,in any way, attempting to minimalize "the dentists" fears for his life, but if Iraq is ever going to stand on its own it's these types of people, the well educated, that are going to have to be the driving force behind a "new Iraq". The "war" and American departure should begin to take shape within the next 12 months leaving the country to the Iraqies to develope however they see fit. With the American departure they should see a huge decrease in fighting and bombing, this is not to say that the fighting will cease 100% because we all know it will not. There are far to many other problems within the region for that to take place, but that is what needs to be addressed by the Iraqi people and having all or a majority of the newly educated and foreward thinking people bail out on the country is not the answer.

Hometown Bagdad hopefully will shed some much needed light on the dim situation.

Many thanks and a huge round of applause go out to all who made this happen.

These vignettes are really cool, (sur)really normal, really real. To see the impact of the war, not through the press releases of the military, the lenses of big media, the explosions of the insurgents, or the rhetoric of countless bloviators, but in the everyday lives of young Iraqis is long, long past due. Can't wait to see more of these segments. Bravo to everyone involved!

This is a side of Iraq I havent seen before. Thank you Steve

An unfortunate effect of the turmoil in Iraq (which certainly the U. S.'s military actions have exacerbated) is the draining away of the educated and the secular to other countries. I cannot blame them, any more than I would blame a Jew from escaping Hitler's rule over many European countries. Yet this must contribute to the return to the tribalism and sectarianism that seems to be tearing the fabric of any future nation.

The doctors and dentists are not the only people leaving Iraq, as anyone who has seen the refugee camps in Turkey, Iran, Syria and Jordan can attest.

If you aren't a 'warrior', and want what is best for you and your family in such a time, the choice is whether or not to live or die, not whether or not to contribute to an ethereal concept such as secular society. As the man in the video said, he wants to live.

Please don't blame the educated people who leave a war-torn country for worsening the conflict.

I closed my eyes while listening to you speak and it could have been Mohammed telling me one of those bahgdad stories on my balcony at the Royan students' residence in France. And then I watched your mannerisms and I thought how very much like your brother you are - and that includes plans of getting out of the country not because you don't like it anymore - for how can you as it is still home - but because its just un-liveable, if there was ever such a word.

I sincerely hope things work out for you though. And the three-months-later shots of you just pouring your heart out was so humane ... thank you for putting things in perpective.

We have alot of what you planning to do where I come from: its called brain drain but yeah f*&^%$ them! They don't know what they missing.

in Fiji way down in the South Pacific!