So if
you had ten minutes to interview Michael Ware, what
would you ask?
Here's the transcript of my chat with him prior to
Thursday's event in LA.
All
right, so -- back in Baghdad you seemed pretty happy,
pretty centered again. Were you feeling it or were
you faking it?
No, no, it's -- it's most unhealthy but there's a
rather comforting factor to being back in Baghdad.
It's where the boys are, it's with the story I know
so well, it's just so familiar. I mean, that's been
my life. I mean, Baghdad is more normal to me than
sitting here in LA or back in New York or anywhere
else. Now, there's a lot of other stuff that comes
with that as well, but yeah, it's familiarity. That's
my normal.
And
how were the changes? I mean, it must be so much
different than when you last
left.
Well, certainly, firstly, just in terms of the
bureau. The CNN bureau has shrunk enormously, like
every other media outlet, so the press corps is a
shadow of its former self. That's -- to a degree
that's disheartening. I mean, it's expected, it's
understandable, but it kind of hurts a bit, too.
On the street things are ... to the surface degree,
much better. People are moving about a bit more now.
People are resuming their lives to a degree. But that
comes with a price. We're seeing, you know,
concentration of political power in ways I'm not sure
that are healthy, the creation of a new security
apparatus that I think is being used in a way that's
very hard to see but is also very malignant. And it
also comes, of course, at the expense of US regional
standing. I mean, President Obama made it very clear
that he wished to bring a resolution to the conflict,
the Bush administration signed the deal to set the
timetable to end conflict, and that's not without
some price.
You also have a political process that's currently
underway in Iraq leading up to the national elections
in the beginning of next year, so for now it's not in
the interests of the major actors to create violence
on the streets because everyone's rolling the dice to
see what they can get out of the political process.
What's going to count is next year when we see how
the losers handle their losses.
And
what about you, are you going to keep going back, are
you going to do Afghanistan,
Pakistan?
Well, I've just done Pakistan, I'm probably heading
to Afghanistan in a month or so. These are my last
couple of days, my last weekend, before I go and play
with the Mexican drug cartels. So it's a new position
[Michael
is now Chief Primetime Foreign
Correspondent] based in
New York. I don't know whether it's a promotion or a
punishment, I haven't figured that out yet. But it
means there's no rest for the wicked and we all know
that I'm certainly wicked. (laughs)
Yeah, I've barely had longer than five or six days in
one place. I mean, I've barely had five or six days
in one place where I could rest my head.
Where
things aren't blowing up
outside.
Yeah, and I'm not rushing off to a story. I mean, I
still have a terrible problem of waking up and I just
don't know what city I'm in, I don't know what
country I'm in, I don't recognize the room I'm in. I
have terrible trouble with the days of the week.
Sleep still eludes me. It's not pleasant when it
comes. So, yeah, there's not a lot of rest at the
moment.
And
what are you seeing further down the
road?
That I don't know. I think there's unbridled
opportunity ahead but the challenge always is what
one makes of it. And to get to the truth of that, you
have to know what you really want. And to know what
you really want, you have to know who you really are.
You
still working on that?
(laughs) To say that's a work in progress is an
understatement. I wish it was in progress -- it is in
progress. It's a torturous affair, as you can
imagine, but I mean, everybody goes through this.
Everybody, you know -- that is one of the greatest
questions in life, is who are we? And we all have our
own particular, peculiar complicating factors and I
just happen to be struggling with mine at the moment.
How's
the book going?
We don't mention the b-word, darling.
Okay.
What about other books, have you thought about
--
I've got lots of books in my head.
Have
you thought about teaching?
Um, it has kind of vaguely crossed my mind. I'd
prefer more of a research post, but I do enjoy the
interaction with a room full of people and I do enjoy
shaping or warping young minds, be it on the rugby
field as a coach -- I've always loved coaching and
I'm just taking it up again in Brooklyn.
Really?
That's fascinating.
Yeah. Not that I'm ever there... And you know, I have
taught in the past, back in Australia at a university
as a guest lecturer for two years.
Was
that law or journalism?
Journalism. I would be the worst law lecturer in the
world because I was the worst law student. No one was
happier to see me leave law school than the law
school. So I think about teaching but I'm most
interested in strategic studies. And my other degree
apart from law is in political science, so if I
return to academia be it for a fellowship to write
books, or be it to explore new avenues, it will be in
those fields.
Interesting.
Yeah. Much less so journalism. I'm not a great
believer in the teaching of journalism.
Yeah,
I think it's gut. It's just -- either you feel it or
you don't.
Yeah. So I'm more interested in looking at
international policy and analysis. Because I think
it's no surprise to say I've managed to form my own
unique views of things and it helps me -- you know,
this is where law school still comes into account. It
allows me to bring a certain intellectual rigor to
help harness my frontline madness to shape a
perspective that I think is little seen out there.
It's a
reality check.
Yeah, in fact I'm attempting to write an essay as we
speak.
Good
for you. I miss your writing, you're such a good
writer.
Yeah, I haven't written for a long time. That really
takes heart and soul.
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Many thanks to Michael for his patience and dedication, and to James Swanwick of CrocMedia for setting up the event and the interview.