This post is from our interns, Tristan Schulhof and Jamie McConkey:

On Thursday, August 14th, Common Cause International director Lauren Coletta hosted a delegation of Iraqi students in order to discuss everything from politics to cowboys. She invited interns Jana Kwaji, Jamie McConkey and Tristan Schulhof to join in on the dialogue.

... their account of everyday life in Iraq since 2003 was truly striking and, frankly, a little humbling.

One student told us how her life had become defined by the security imperatives which come with sectarian violence. "I wake up, I go to school, I come home and do not stay out" she said regretfully. Another spoke of the decline in violence over the past two years. "In 2006 I would hear several explosions a day. There are far fewer now".

We found it surprising that there was a general support for the presence of American and coalition troops in the country.

the full post is here: