relationship between commerce and civilization
Answers
ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇʀᴄᴇ, ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ... ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇʀᴄᴇ ᴘʀᴇsᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀʀᴄʜᴇs ʜᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇʀᴄᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴀʟʟ ᴛɪᴍᴇs ʜᴀs ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴀs ᴏғᴛᴇɴ ғᴀɪʟᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴛʀᴏɢʀᴀᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴛʀɪᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴛ-ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇʀᴄᴇ.
Answer:
Haydar Hussain, the third-generation owner of a butcher shop in Baghdad, isn't much interested in politics. He doesn't care whose statue appears in the public square. He didn't like Saddam but doesn't like his replacement either. He has his personal religious views, but will gladly sell to Sunni, Shiite, Christian, or Jew. In fact, his interests are not complicated. He wants to protect his property, to be free to serve others through exchange, and to otherwise be left alone.
In the days before the war, his shop was full: beef, lamb, and chicken in every cut imaginable. He did his best to work around sanctions, despotism, inflation, and a thousand other barriers that conspired against commerce. Somehow he managed, and, like thousands of other heroic merchants in that country, kept the people fed by means of trade.
After the war, he only had a bit of hamburger to sell, but his doors were open, unlike the other 95 percent of businesses that had closed for lack of products and fear of looters (official and unofficial). How did he do it? He provided his own protection and worked extremely hard. All of Iraq suffered, but slightly less so because of his efforts.
It was often said in the days after the war that Iraq had descended into a state of "anarchy," but that's not the best word to describe war between two states.