Two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and Daily Cardinal alumnus Anthony Shadid spoke about his experiences reporting in the Iraqi town Thuluyah at the Pyle Center Thursday. His talk stressed how the town exemplifies the unintended consequences of the war in Iraq.
Shadid, who graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in journalism and political science in 1990, is a foreign correspondent for The New York Times in Baghdad and Beirut. From 2003-2009, he worked as a staff writer for The Washington Post in the Middle East.
In 2003, American troops invaded Thuluyah, raided 24 homes, arrested 400 people and killed three people.
Town members blamed a local named Sabah for acting as an informant to the U.S. and causing the strike, Shadid said.
Tribal leaders ordered Sabah's family to kill him or else they would kill the entire family. Sabah was shot dead by his father and brother.
Shadid said when people hear this story, they often blame the death on the brutality of the country. However, Shadid said he thinks that perception fails to examine the unpredicted results of the U.S. invasion.
""Sabah's death to me was less a story of brutality and more a tale of the repercussions of a country turned upside down,"" Shadid said. ""I thought it was a metaphor for the devastation of these unintended consequences.""
""In one narrative the United States came as a liberator, almost immediately became an occupier, but most importantly served as a catalyst for consequences most of us never foresaw,"" Shadid said.
Shadid said stories like the raid's affect on Thuluyah are essential to convey the effects of war.
""The raid itself was the footnote to a war and its aftermath that has dragged on more than seven years,"" Shadid said. ""But I think the best journalism is sometimes about footnotes—when we write small to say something big.""
Shadid said contrary to popular perception, the war in Iraq is far from over and the repercussions will be long-lasting.
Many UW-Madison community members were excited to have Shadid on campus.
""I can think of no one better to speak about the war in Iraq than Anthony Shadid,"" Journalism Professor Stephen Ward said. ""He is one of America's leading foreign correspondents and he lives at the intersection of war, religion and journalism.""
