Yahia Said returns to the Iraq he left as a teen.

" Iraqis want to regain control of their future and to become truly independent and free. They are sick of violence of all kinds, whatever the pretexts. They are tired of empty rhetoric and ideologies. Most Iraqis want to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and move on. Whoever cares for them should help them do just that. "

I want to emphasize this comment. Nearly everybody caught in a conflict feels this way. But people also feel powerless in the face of the violent. So they live their lives as close to normally as possible and they go through their days with varying degrees of fear and uncertainty.

There are strategies for dealing with the violent and the lawlessness of incessant conflict. Some of these strategies encourage people to come out of the darkness, to stand up unafraid, to speak out and to build for the long-term. But others push people back down into their holes, away from the light of day, away from their participation in the future. Whoever cares should think about which effect their strategies are likely to have.