Surge getting bogged down in fortifications8 May 2007Apparently, writes blogger and Christian Science Monitor columnist Helena Cobban, ‘fortifications and fortifications of fortifications are severely hampering the achievement of what was supposed to be the main point of distributing the ‘surging’ soldiers more widely throughout Iraq’s populated areas.
US response to displacement remains inadequate8 May 2007The problem of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced Iraqis is a humanitarian crisis, writes Kristele Young of Refugees International, and ‘The US must show the world that it is taking this matter seriously and willing to set a positive example for the international communitys efforts in the region.’
Supporting vulnerable Iraqi children in Jordan8 May 2007In response to the growing needs of Iraqi’s vulnerable displaced population, Save the Children is responding by focusing on children’s protection and education needs in Jordan. Hosting governments do not have the resources to assist such large numbers of displaced.
Deadly Tornado Brings Iraq War Home8 May 2007Increasingly isolated by his dogged opposition to a timetable for withdrawing US combat troops from Iraq, President Bush will travel to the site of a deadly tornado in Kansas, in part to rebut charges that relief operations there were hampered by shortages of equipment that had been shipped to Iraq.
Pentagon Moved to Fix Iraqi Media Before Invasion8 May 2007In the run-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon planned to create a ‘Rapid Reaction Media Team’ designed to ensure control over major Iraqi media while providing an Iraqi ‘face’ for its efforts, according to a White Paper’ obtained by the independent National Security Archive which released it Tuesday.
Dutch companies delivered large amount of chemicals to Iraq8 May 2007A report, released today by “Campagne tegen Wapenhandel” (the Dutch Campaign against Arms Trade) casts new light on the role of the Netherlands in the nineteen eighties with regards to Iraq’s chemical weapons programme. Studies show that the government deliberately did very little to prevent Dutch companies from supplying Iraq with precursors for the production of chemical weapons. The case of Frans van Anraat, in which the appeals court will pronounce its sentence today, therefore fits into a broader picture.
The US and Iraq’s ‘Free’ Media: Delusion or Prophecy?7 May 2007A just released “white paper” drawn up in Jan 2003 proposing to carefully manage the transition from Hussein’s state media to ‘Iraqi Free Media’ draws out some interesting nuance in the US role in post-Hussein Iraq.
Child Mortality Jumps 125%7 May 2007According to a new report, Iraq has seen its child mortality rate jump 125% since 1990, a legacy of two wars and more than a decade of economic sanctions.
Sectarian Shopping7 May 2007Street life in Baghdad has ‘receded into side streets where neighborhoods are becoming self-sufficient enclaves in which Sunni and Shiite Muslim residents can shop among their own without fear of retribution.’
Iraq Oil Law: In Whose Interest?7 May 2007‘The architects of a new Iraq oil law aim to privatize Iraq’s oil and open the doors for American companies to sign long term contracts controlling Iraq’s oil resources and infrastructure,’ writes Raed Jarrar, who explains that such an arrangement runs counter to recent US legislation and is not in the interest of the Iraqi people.
Roadside bomb kills Russian photojournalist in Iraq7 May 2007The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death on Sunday of Dmitry Chebotayev, the first Russian journalist to be killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Chebotayev, a freelance photographer embedded with U.S. forces, was killed along with six American soldiers when a roadside bomb struck a U.S. military vehicle in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad.
Video Diary: Liberated?7 May 2007Four years after the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Hometown Baghdad’s Adel, Ausama and Saif consider claims of liberation. ‘Some people ask, do you feel liberated?’ Ausama asks. ‘How can you even ask me this?’
UN Report Sparks Uproar in Kurdistan6 May 2007A UN report on Iraq’s human rights situation, which includes a substantial section on the Kurdish-controlled north, has provoked mixed reactions in the northern region. Officials accuse the UN of ‘exaggeration and inaccuracy’ while human rights activists say the ‘extent of violations has been understated.’
The Body Reacts6 May 2007Iraqi blogger ‘Still Alive’ left Baghdad recently to study in the United States. In this short diary, she captures the wrenching pain of being separated from her home, her friends and her family as her country deteriorates. ‘A few days ago I looked at 300 news pictures from Iraq,’ she begins. ‘The next morning I talked to my family in Baghdad. A few hours later I was sick.’
Slowly, Slowly, the Ship of State Turns Realist6 May 2007While Republicans have remained disciplined during the most recent legislative battle over the imposition of a deadline for the withdrawal of US combat troops, most analysts appear to agree that, absent measurable progress on the ground in stabilizing Iraq, they will begin deserting Bush in droves by September.
Families begin to flee Sadr City as US-led forces strike6 May 2007Dozens of families started to flee Sadr City, the main Shi’a district of Baghdad, on Sunday following raids by US-led forces against suspected militants. Humanitarian organizations are trying to help but say they would not be able to cope if families continue to flee the district, especially since most of the district’s residents are poor.
Video Diary: ‘Security’6 May 2007In this episode of Hometown Baghdad, we return to Ausama’s grandmother’s home, which has been raided by US forces. We get a tour of the ransacked home. The family pictures scattered everywhere, the bullet holes, the shattered glass. “We are the people they should be protecting,” Ausama says, “I will never trust any security forces.”
Hundreds of displaced children in south unable to get school places6 May 2007The increase in the number of displaced children in the south has left hundreds of students out of school. Nearly one million students at primary and secondary school levels are in the south and at least 150,000 displaced students have taken refuge there, according to education specialists.
Video Diary: Anger. Pain. Death. Madness.3 May 2007There are a million ways to vent your anger in Baghdad. In this episode of Hometown Baghdad, Adel chooses graffiti. Hometown Baghdad was shot by an all-Iraqi crew and tells the stories of three young people trying to survive in Baghdad.
Bush Holds Iranian Officials as Bargaining Chips3 May 2007When the Bush administration announced in January that it was targeting Iranian officials in Iraq, it justified the policy as necessary to protect US troops because of their alleged involvement in attacks on US forces. But those Iranian officials are serving as bargaining chips in the administration’s effort to get Iran to use its influence with Iraqi Shiites to help stabilize the situation in Iraq.
Video Diary: Hubbly Bubbly2 May 2007Perhaps we don’t encourage levity enough at Electronic Iraq. Here, today, finally, is a little levity courtesy of the Hometown Baghdad project. In this installment, Saif does nothing but talk hubbly bubbly – or hooka. You can’t help but laugh when he says hubbly bubbly, and you get to hear him say it over and over again. Enjoy.
Ransom for Corpses1 May 2007I feel like it’s time for all news outlets to adopt the uniform practice of starting each horror story from Iraq with “Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…”
Video Diary: Across the River1 May 2007Ausama takes us to his grandmother’s house in this installment of Hometown Baghdad. There, images and stories of a beautiful and safe place on the bank of the Tigris collide with the realities of four years of war.
Electronic Iraq