Guest Blogger: George Packer, New Yorker journalist and playwright

Betrayed airs on Thirteen, Thursday, October 23 at 9 p.m.

One of the many political surprises this year is that the Iraq War has receded almost to the vanishing point as we approach Election Day and Americans move on to other concerns. This is understandable, but even if the war no longer makes much news, its powerful human stories and the collective responsibility they leave behind linger on. The fate of Iraqis–interpreters and others–who joined the American effort in their country is one such story, perhaps the most emblematic of the war. It encompasses hope, self-deception, friendship, misunderstanding, disappointment, violence, resilience, and betrayal. “Betrayed” tells the story of these Iraqis–first as a New Yorker Magazine article, then as an Off Broadway play, and now as a teleplay on WNET. Large subjects are best illuminated by small dramas, and in “Betrayed” viewers will see the war not as a news clip or a political argument but as a tragedy of individuals. I’m grateful that WNET will bring “Betrayed” to a wider audience and make it indelible.

Watch a few clips from the play:

An American interviews Adnan (Waleed F. Zuaiter), a prospective interpreter:

A different American interrogates Laith (Sevan Greene), an Iraqi interpreter: