"The video posted below provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at U.S. military dealings with some of the Sunni "Awakening" movements. It is purported to be a recording of a meeting between an Iraqi tribal leader, identified as "Sheikh Mahi," and Col. Stephen Lanza, commander of the 1st Cavalry's 5th Brigade Combat Team, responsible for the Rashid sector of southern Baghdad (includes the districts of Dora, Mahdiya, Abu Dshir, Saidiya, Bayya', Amil, Jihad, Attiba', Shurta, Suwaib, Muwasalat, I'lam, Risala, Ma'alif, and the nearby rural areas of Radhwaniya, Rai, Duwanim, Girtan, Rashid, Hor Rijab, Arab Jubour, Al-Bu Aitha and Arab Dulaim).
The undated video is painful to watch, both because of the terrible editing and the subject matter, but it doesn't appear to be dubbed. The posting that accompanied the video, originally found on Al-Jazeera's web forums, mentioned that the video was 30 minutes long and that it was filmed by someone attending the meeting in order to intimidate the tribal leader. The commander accuses the sheikh of being a "terrorist" for not reporting insurgents attacking Americans in his area. The sheikh looks devastated at this treatment, but he swallows it and offers to form a tribal force to guard the area, in return for U.S. funds and arms, of course.
EDIT: Apparently the video is from a 2005 PBS Frontline documentary, and the sheikh was brought in for interrogation after a rocket hit the U.S. military base in the area, wounding a soldier. So, I guess ignore the above paragraph.
It is hard to blame the sheikh in the video, despite the humiliating treatment he received, both from the U.S. commander and the Iraqi translator--who by the look and sound of him seems to be one those Chalabi-style exiles who have lived most of their life out of Iraq and then return and revel in treating their countrymen like dirt in order to please their newfound masters. The sheikh has the choice of accepting insurgents, or worse Al-Qaeda, to operate in his territory, risking that Americans come after him and his family, destroy his property, or kill them all in a strike against "suspected insurgents." Or, he could join forces with Americans to form an "awakening" group, and then risk that insurgents come after him for collaboration. Or, he could simply pack up and flee the country, like millions of Iraqis facing this dilemma decided to do rather than choose one or the other. The Iraqi government or Iraqi security forces are clearly not an option in this equation for well-known reasons."
Watch video here
