Bartleby and Iraq

Similar to how the Narrator in Bartleby the Scrivener felt pity for Bartleby, American citizens, or at least the American Government feels about the people of Iraq. Both want to help stabilize the lives of other people, and both the Iraqi citizens and Bartleby refuse the help. The main difference between Bartleby and the Iraqis, however, is the fact that the Iraqis are using violence against the people trying to help them, whereas Bartleby did nothing at all, or at least preferred not to. Also, a lot of the Iraqi sentiment is driven by the Muslim religion, which causes these people to do crazy things because it's what they believe in. Another aspect is the idea that if not stable, Iraq could be presented as a threat to the U.S. So in effect, we must stabilize them so that we can feel safe. But the Iraqis really don't want our help at all. They want to do things their own way, which is fine, but if we're helping them they should at least show some gratitude. But then again, their religion says that they shouldn't receive our help and that because we are a prosperous nation, we are an evil nation. This is why Iraq is kind of a lost cause. Religion is the only thing they got, and they're gonna hang on to it for dear life. Here in America, we have a lot of Religions, none of which are taken to the extreme like Islam is in the Mid East. This would be another reason why they don't like us; we're not religious enough. But after five years, the feelings of American pity for these people has turned into a sour disliking, sort of how the narrator felt in Bartleby the Scrivener.