What’s Beijing’s take on the ‘attack of the flying shoes’?
“First, in order to show results. Iraq and Afghanistan have been two ‘field experiments’ that Bush has painstakingly nurtured. Confronting his political legacy, he and his supporters would prefer a good ‘harvest’ from their field experiments rather than a ‘poor’ one.
To exhibit his ‘good yields,’ Bush and al-Maliki signed during his visit, the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework and Status of Forces Agreement.
“Second, the visit was intended to quell discontent. The Iraq War, which was waged without United Nations authorization, shattered the international order and the geopolitical balance of the Middle East. And it gave rise to harmful global side-effects, since it was widely opposed internationally and is regarded by most Americans as the ‘wrong war.’ To dispel such sentiments, Bush has visited Iraq three times. But contrary to his wishes, his farewell trip turned into an ‘attack of the flying shoes.'”
By Huang Beizhao [???]*
Translated By James Chen
December 17, 2008
Peoples’ Republic of China – The Peoples’ Daily – Original Article (Chinese)
A few days ago, U.S. President George W. Bush concluded his visit to Iraq and Afghanistan. This was his farewell tour to the two war torn nations. And since the prior political administrations of the two countries were toppled by wars launched by the United States, his visit attracted particularly acute attention.
Bush’s Iraq visit was shrouded in secrecy, which shows a continuing lack of confidence in the Iraq situation. Although it was a surprise visit, Bush ran into trouble. During a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, an Iraqi reporter angrily threw both of his shoes at Bush as a sign of protest against the Iraq War. Although Bush averted both shoes with great agility and later joked about the incident, in the end it was impossible to conceal the awkwardness of the moment.
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