Another very light day for Iraq news. Though the death of Robert S. McNamara led to a few indirect Iraq references, and the Washington Post picked up an AP briefing of violence in Baghdad and Mosul, there really wasn’t much today, and nothing filed from Iraq. There was a piece on disabled veterans, a book review, and an opinion.
Opinion
IN the Wall Street Journal, John Nagl (president of the Center for a New American Security) and Daniel Rice (partner and co-founder of The Marshall Fund), both graduates of West Point who have served in Iraq, write that America must more effectively shift its focus from combat to post-conflict operations. Though millions are being spent on reconstruction, short-term needs are what is being paid-attention to, not sustainable development.
Instead of spending billions of taxpayer dollars for short-term programs, the enterprise funds could create long-term growth and employment in Iraq while giving U.S. taxpayers a return on their investment in the form of a share of profits going back to the USAID -- while appreciably diminishing support for the insurgency.
As we withdraw from Iraq's cities we must seek to replace our bases with businesses. An...
New Legislation A "Feast of Ad Hoc Ethno-religious Cake-sharing," Analyst Says
As the Iraqi Parliament passes the long-debated provincial elections law, Reidar Visser of the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs posts the following commentary on his website.
The law on the Iraqi provincial elections was passed by the Iraqi parliament on 22 July. The adopted text largely reflects earlier drafts that have been circulating...
President Obama’s goodwill address to Muslims of the world from Cairo University was an obvious big story, but it did not dominate coverage as much as one might have thought. All channels included it, played excerpts and had political analysts giving generally positive, but decidedly mixed analysis. A few examples are, “We (Arabs) should go for what Obama is offering. We are weak and in no position to argue," while another said, "Obama hasn't brought anything new to...
“We are With the Government to Help, With Our Lives and Our Sons”
BAGHDAD – On Sunday, local Mosul Radio aired pleas by Sahwa leaders, addressed to the Iraqi government. They asked for Iraq's leadership to understand that they were acting in the interest of the nation’s security. Leaders from several areas of northern Iraq “implored the government not to disassemble the Sahwa in the hot are...
Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq issues statement
The statement's accompanying photo, not claimed to be of the actual incident
On November 12th in Mosul, an Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S. troops in Mosul, killing two and wounding six more, while they waited outside a meeting between a U.S. lieutenant and an Iraqi Captain. The shooter, identified as Barzan Muhammed, from the 6th Brigade of the Iraqi...
"What most of the TV and print reporters weren't really aware of was that Chalabi's people used U.S. taxpayer funding to pay all that PR and propaganda," Roston says. In fact, Chalabi and his team were so good at spin, they were even rewarded for it. Says Roston, "After the...
Shihab Muhammad al-Haiti Disappeared in Baghdad Saturday
Baghdad, Oct 30, (VOI) – An Iraqi journalist working for the weekly Baghdad al-Yawm newspaper who was reportedly kidnapped last Saturday was found dead in northern Baghdad, a statement by the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO) said.
"Last Saturday Iraqi security forces found the body of Shihab Muhammad al-Haiti, a journalist, in northern...
An In-Depth Profile of the NYT's Dogged Baghdad Bureau
Ashley Gilbertson.
New York Times correspondent Dexter Filkins calls in a story during the second battle of Fallujah, November 2004.
The December issue of Vanity Fair features an in-depth profile of the New York Times Baghdad bureau, now available online. VF's Seth Mnoonkin interviewed well-known members of...
To the Fallen Follows Hip Hop CD With New Ones Performed by Active Duty and Vets
The only record label solely devoted to promoting the music of military artists added two more titles to its shelf today, releasing compilation albums of rock and country.
To the Fallen Records was founded last year by OIF veteran Capt. Sean Gilfillan and his friend Sydney DeMello to establish a musical outlet for active duty and veteran servicemembers. Named after the tattoo Gilfillan had put on his back to commemorate the friends of his killed in Iraq, the label plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to charities that assist wounded troops.
DeMello writes on their website about the particular...
Bureau's Retrospective on Five Years of War Coverage
Screenshot from the online Reuters presentation "Bearing Witness."
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As the five-year mark since the beginning of the US-led invasion of Iraq approaches, Reuters, which has covered the conflict from inside Iraq since the beginning of operations, has launched a multimedia tribute to its staff's work.
Richard Betts Urges Fiscal Discipline for Military Spending
"Powerful armed forces are necessary for U.S. national security, but they should be tailored to counter the threats and vulnerabilities the country actually faces, not to satisfy hubristic ambitions of remaking the world," writes Richard K. Betts, Director of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University, in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs.
The budget request for DOD operations in FY 2008 is $505 billion, with the supplemental $142 billion requested for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, that adds up to a defense budget of $647 billion--almost...
Twenty Interviews and Five Conversations with "High Value Detainee # 1" in 2004
After Freedom of Information Act requests were made by the independent NGO, The National Security Archive, transcripts of 20 formal interviews and at least 5 "casual conversations" the FBI held with Saddam Hussein are made available, held after his capture by U.S. troops in December 2003. Interesting stuff.
