MILLION PEOPLE ARE UNDER THE AGE

OF 45, WHICH MEANS THEY GREW UP

IN THE WAKE OF THE U.S. INVASION

THAT TOPPLED SUE DOM HUSSEIN.

WHILE THE YOUNG POPULATION COULD

BE A DRIVER OF GROWTH, MANY FEEL

SHUT OUT OF THE POLITICAL

PROCESS.

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT YET --

MET THREE IRAQIS, ALL OF WHOM

ARE DISAPPOINTED BY THE PROMISES

OF DEMOCRATIC RULE.

>> ALAA AL SATTAR WAS JUST IN

THIRD GRADE WHEN THE UNITED

STATES INVADED IRAQ.

BUT EVEN AS AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD,

HE UNDERSTOOD IT WAS A TURNING

POINT FOR THE COUNTRY.

>> AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH

CLASS, WE HAD TO SAY LONG LIVE

THE LEADER SADDAM HUSSEIN.A™

AFTER THE REGIME FELL, WE WENT

TO SCHOOL AND THE TEACHER

INSULTED SADDAM HUSSEIN AND SAID

YOU CANNOT SAY THAT SLOGAN

ANYMORE.

YOU SAY LONG LIVE IRAQ.

>> WE ARE IN THE SQUARE, THE

ICONIC PLACE WHERE HIS STATUE

WAS TOPPLED ON APRIL 9TH, 2003.

THE PICTURES WERE BROADCAST

AROUND THE WORLD, SIGNALING THE

BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA.

BUT 20 YEARS ON THE GENERATION

, THAT GREW UP IN THE SHADOW OF

THE AMERICAN INVASION IS

INCREASINGLY DISAPPOINTED.

>> THE LEADERS OF THE AMERICAN

INVASION SAID THAT A GENERATION

OF FREEDOM WILL EMERGE THAT IS

RAISED ON FREEDOM AND THE

PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY.

BUT I ONE OF THIS GENERATION,

AM AND I FIND MYSELF FIGHTING

FOR FREEDOM AND THE RIGHT TO

LIVE.

>> I FIRST MET ALAA DURING THE

PROTESTS WHICH BEGAN IN OCTOBER

OF YEARS OF ACCUMULATED ANGER

2019.

OVER CORRUPTION, POOR SERVICES

AND LACK OF JOBS USHERED IN THE

BIGGEST GRASSROOTS PROTEST

MOVEMENT SINCE SADDAM HUSSEIN'S

OVERTHROW.

YOUNG IRAQIS FROM ACROSS THE

SHIA SOUTH ROSE UP AGAINST

CORRUPT RULING ELITES.

IT FELT LIKE AN UNPRECEDENTED

OPPORTUNITY TO REFORM THE

SYSTEM.

ALAA SET UP A NEW POLITICAL

PARTY, CALLED THE NATIONAL

HOUSE, DESIGNED TO TRANSCEND

ETHNO-SECTARIAN DIVIDES.

>> THOSE GOALS WE WANT TO

ACHIEVE ARE THE SAME WHICH THE

TISHREEN DEMONSTRATION CALLED

FOR.

WE WANT TO BUILD ONE NATION.

>> BUT THE PROTESTS WERE

CRUSHED.

TAHRIR SQUARE, BACK THEN THE

EPICENTER OF THE PROTESTS, IS

NOW EMPTY.

THE POLITICAL PARTY FELL APART.

>> THE AUTHORITIES AND DIFFERENT

POLITICAL PARTIES MANAGED TO

DISMANTLE OUR PARTY.

THEY OFFERED MONEY IN EXCHANGE

FOR ADOPTING A CERTAIN POLITICAL

VISION.

>> JUST LIKE THE TISHRIN

MOVEMENT, THE YOUNG PARTY LACKED

UNITY AND ORGANIZATION.

THE FAILURE OF THE TISHRIN

PROTEST MOVEMENT TO ACHIEVE

TANGIBLE CHANGE IS A SIGN JUST

HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR IRAQA™S

'S TO REALIZE THEIR ASPIRATIONS

IN A COUNTRY THAT IS RULED NOT

BY INSTITUTIONS AND LAWS BUT BY

THOSE WITH MONEY AND GUNS.

THOUGH THE ELITES ARE MORE

ENTRENCHED THAN EVER, THE

PROTEST MOVEMENT LEFT A LASTING

IMPRINT ON POPULAR CULTURE AND

POLITICAL DISCOURSE.

CAFES LIKE THIS ARE OPENING

ACROSS TOWN, PROVIDING NEW

SPACES FOR STUDENTS, ARTISTS AND

ACTIVISTS.

ALAA AND HIS FRIENDS REGULARLY

MEET HERE TO DISCUSS THE LATEST

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS.

TONIGHT, THEY DEBATE THE IMPACT

OF A NEW ELECTORAL LAW ON THE

ABILITY OF NEW PARTIES TO RUN IN

FUTURE ELECTIONS.

ALAA AL SATTAR: ALWAYS SAY, THIS

IS A LONG STRUGGLE.

WE AGREED THAT THE STRUGGLE

SHOULD NOT COME THROUGH WEAPONS

BUT THROUGH PEACEFUL MEANS.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO PURSUE THIS

CHANGE FOR YEARS TO COME.

>> AND OTHER PARTS OF IRAQ TOO,

, YOUTH ARE TRYING TO ORGANIZE

IN THE FACE OF POWERFUL

POLITICAL INTERESTS.

IN THE WESTERN CITY OF FALLUJAH,

KAUTHER AL MOHAMMEDI LEADS A

GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT IS

ADVOCATING FOR BETTER SERVICES.

KAUTHER MOHAMMEDI: OUR CASE IS

TO SERVE THE SOCIETY AND TO HELP

THEM ACCESS SERVICES.

THE GOAL IS NOT TO GET

GOVERNMENT POSITIONS.

>> IT IS A SIMPLE YET DANGEROUS

MISSION.

THE PROVINCE HAS SEEN A RISE IN

ARRESTS OF THOSE WHO DARE TO

CRITICIZE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

IT IS A WORRYING SIGN THAT

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS

RECEDING.

>> THE MORE TIME PASSES THE LESS

, SPACE WE HAVE FOR FREEDOM OF

EXPRESSION.

PREVIOUSLY I USED TO RAISE MY

VOICE TO DEMAND BETTER SERVICES.

TODAY I CANNOT.

WHEN I PUBLISH SOMETHING ON

SOCIAL MEDIA, I GET THREATENED.

>> KAUTHER WORRIES THAT THE

LATEST CRACKDOWN HERALDS A NEW

PERIOD OF UPHEAVAL IN ANBAR

PROVINCE, WHICH SAW SOME OF THE

WORST VIOLENCE IN THE WAKE OF

THE U.S. INVASION.

FALLUJAH WAS THE SITE OF THE TWO

BATTLES BETWEEN AMERICAN TROOPS

AND INSURGENTS.

THE FIRST BATTLE BEGAN SHORTLY

AFTER THE INVASION, WHEN FOUR

AMERICAN CONTRACTORS WERE

KILLED, THEIR BODIES HUNG FROM

THIS BRIDGE.

THE IMAGES DREW INDIGNATION IN

THE UNITED STATES AND PROMPTED

THE LAUNCH OF A

COUNTERINSURGENCY CAMPAIGN.

AS WAS SO OFTEN THE CASE,

CIVILIANS WERE CAUGHT IN THE

MIDDLE.

KAUTHER MOHAMMEDI: RIVER

CROSSING WAS ABOUT LIFE AND

DEATH.

AND THE PEOPLE IN FALLUJAH

COULDN'T GO TO THE OTHER SIDE.

>> SHE WAS 13 BACK THEN.

MANY CHILDREN, AND ESPECIALLY

GIRLS, DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL

BECAUSE IT WAS SIMPLY TOO

DANGEROUS TO GET THERE.

KAUTHER HAD TO RUN A GAUNTLET OF

CHECKPOINTS EVERY DAY TO

CONTINUE HER EDUCATION.

>> JUST BEFORE MY SCHOOL THERE

WAS A GUNMAN WHO WOULD POINT THE

GUN TO MY HEAD AND SAY, WHEN ARE

YOU GOING TO BE DONE? ENOUGH

ALREADY WITH YOUR STUDIES.

>> WOMEN'S RIGHTS REGRESSED AS A

RESULT OF DECADES OF WAR AND

HARDSHIP, PROMPTING SOCIETY TO

TURN TOWARDS TRIBAL AND

RELIGIOUS VALUES.

IRAQ IS RELATIVELY STABLE TODAY,

BUT WOMEN STILL STRUGGLE TO

RECLAIM THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN

SOCIETY AND POLITICS.

KAUTHER MOHAMMEDI: WOMEN USED TO

PLAY A ROLE IN FALLUJAH, BUT NOW

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IS

MARGINALIZATION AND EXPLOITATION

AND NOT INVESTMENT.

>> ALTHOUGH THE 2005

CONSTITUTION INTRODUCED A QUOTA

THAT GUARANTEES WOMEN AT LEAST

25% OF SEATS IN PARLIAMENT

KAUTHER HAS NO ILLUSION ABOUT

, WHO REALLY HOLDS THE POWER.

>> POLITICIANS USE WOMEN IN

THEIR PARTY LISTS TO GAIN MORE

POSITIONS.

MANY WOMEN ARE REFUSING TO RUN

IN ELECTIONS BECAUSE THEY'LL

FIND THEMSELVES REDUCED TO JUST

A NAME AND A VOTE.

>> IT IS ONE REASON SHE DOES NOT

WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE OR ACCEPT

FUNDING FROM POLITICAL PARTIES.

BUT THIS EFFORT TO MAINTAIN HER

INDEPENDENCE ALSO LIMITS HER

ABILITY TO HELP THE MOST

DISADVANTAGED.

WE ACCOMPANY HER AS SHE VISITS

SLUMS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF

FALLUJAH, WHERE MANY WOMEN

WIDOWED BY WARS STRUGGLE TO MAKE

A LIVING.

>> I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I CAN

OFFER THEM IN TERMS OF

DONATIONS.

THIS CASE REQUIRES STATE

INTERVENTION, BUT THESE WOMEN

ARE NOT A PRIORITY FOR THE

GOVERNMENT.

>> NEGLECT, AUTHORITARIANISM AND

CORRUPTION, THESE ARE THE

BYPRODUCTS OF THE U.S. INVASION

THAT AFFLICT THE YOUTH ACROSS

THE COUNTRY EVEN IN

, SEMIAUTONOMOUS KURDISTAN.

THE OIL-RICH, NORTHERN REGION

HAS BEEN SPARED MUCH OF THE

TURMOIL THAT HAS ROCKED IRAQ

OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES AND IS

OFTEN HAILED AS AN ENCLAVE OF

STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.

BUT LITTLE OF THAT HAS

TRANSLATED INTO OPPORTUNITIES

FOR ITS YOUTH.

>> THERE ARE VERY FEW

OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYONE

INCLUDING THE WORKERS AND THE

, BUSINESS OWNERS.

>> ALLEN IS 19 YEARS OLD.

HE DROPPED OUT OF NINTH GRADE

AND HAS WORKED AS A DAILY

LABOR SINCE.

STABLE JOBS ARE RESERVED FOR

THOSE WITH CONNECTIONS TO THE

TWO RULING FAMILIES THE BARZANIS

, AND THE TALABANIS, WHOSE

POLITICAL PARTIES ARE

ALL-POWERFUL.

>> EVEN STUDYING IS POINTLESS.

THAT IS WHY I QUIT.

I HAVE WATCHED MANY PEOPLE

INCLUDING MY SISTERS AND MY

BROTHER GRADUATE WITH DEGREES

LIKE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE,

JOURNALISM, AND ACCOUNTING, BUT

THEY STILL COULD NOT FIND JOBS.

>> THIS LACK OF HOPE IS PUSHING

YOUTH IN TWO DANGEROUS

DIRECTIONS.

ONE IS MIGRATION.

LAST YEAR, ALAN WAS ONE OF

THOUSANDS OF YOUNG KURDS WHO

TRIED BUT FAILED TO REACH EUROPE

THROUGH BELARUS.

ALTHOUGH HE IS STILL PAYING BACK

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS HE BORROWED

TO PAY THE SMUGGLERS, HE IS

READY TO RISK IT ALL AGAIN.

>> IF LIFE IS GOOD HERE, I WILL

NOT LEAVE.

BUT IF THINGS DO NOT GET BETTER

I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO TRY

AGAIN.

>> BUT IT IS THE EFFECT THAT

SECOND COULD BE OF CONCERN FOR

INTERNAL STABILITY.

MANY YOUTH LIKE ALAN ARE

INCREASINGLY DRAWN TO

ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE

INTERPRETATIONS OF ISLAM AS A

SOLUTION FOR THE REGION'S

GOVERNANCE PROBLEMS.

ALAN THINKS THE REGION WOULD BE

BETTER OFF UNDER ISLAMIC LAW.

>> IF THE COUNTRY WAS RULED BY

THE QURAN AND THE WORD OF THE

PROPHET MOHAMMED, EVERYTHING

WOULD GET BETTER.

>> FROM SHIA TO SUNNI TO KURDISH

AREAS OF THE COUNTRY, MUCH OF

THE POST-2003 GENERATION FEELS

IRAQ'S ELITES HAVE FAILED THEM,