Electronic Iraq : BY TOPIC

The Battle of Basra

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:06:33 CST

Comprehensive coverage of the violence that has drawn Iraqi, U.S., and British military forces together in a battle against Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army in the south of Iraq and beyond.

The "Surge"

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:02:00 CST

President George W. Bush spent months deliberating on a new plan for Iraq, repeatedly postponing an address to the nation where he would push his new strategy, ending months of speculation about who he was listening to on his "listening tours" of policymakers, war makers and think tanks. He delivered his eagerly awaited speech on January 11, 2007. There was an overwhelmingly negative response to President Bush's speech and his plan to send more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. From the streets to the halls of Congress, dissent was quick and strong. The debate and the administration's attempt to follow through with its controversial plan is ongoing.

Lt. Ehren Watada: The First Commissioned Officer to Refuse Deployment to Iraq

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:05:00 CST

Lt. Ehren Watada is the first commissioned U.S. officer to refuse deployment to Iraq. Facing court martial, Watada in a 2006 speech to a Veterans for Peace gathering:"Today, I speak with you about a radical idea. It is one born from the very concept of the American soldier (or service member). It became instrumental in ending the Vietnam War - but it has been long since forgotten. The idea is this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it.

Saddam Hussein Put to Death

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 05:56:00 CST

On Saturday, December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein was put to death. The hanging was a dramatic and violent ending to a dramatic and violent life. Responding to the hanging, Human Rights Watch commented: "The execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein following a deeply flawed trial for crimes against humanity marks a significant step away from respect for human rights and the rule of law in Iraq."

The Saddam Hussein Verdict

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:27:00 CST

On Sunday, November 5, 2006, the High Tribunal in Iraq sentenced the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to death by hanging for ordering the murder of 148 Shi'ite residents of Dujail in 1982. The verdict marked the end of a dramatic and dramatically flawed trial. The verdict marked the end of a dramatic and dramatically flawed trial. Responding to the verdict, Amnesty International, in a statement, noted that "political interference undermined the independence and impartiality of the court, causing the first presiding judge to resign and blocking the appointment of another, and the court failed to take adequate measures to ensure the protection of witnesses and defense lawyers, three of whom were assassinated during the course of the trial. Saddam Hussein was also denied access to legal counsel for the first year after his arrest, and complaints by his lawyers throughout the trial relating to the proceedings do not appear to have been adequately answered by the tribunal"

Eye on Ramadi (Updated 21 June 2006)

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 08:25:00 CST

Following reports last week of an imminent U.S.-led attack on Ramadi, denied by military leaders at the time, U.S. forces have pushed deeper into Ramadi, tightened their siege of the city, and increased attacks, according to reports. There is much to suggest a massive assault similar to the November 2004 U.S.-led attack on nearby Fallujah. Electronic Iraq will be following developments in Ramadi all week again. Check back daily.

Haditha Massacre Allegations (May 2006)

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 13:10:00 CST

Initial reports about a November 19th, 2005 incident in Haditha, Iraq - now an alleged massacre - were not longer than a couple of lines. Since then, there has been much talk of Haditha in the United States; talk of war crimes or of warriors just following orders. It is ahistorical to be surprised, as many have been, by war-time attrocities, but it would be imprudent not to take every opportunity to lift up the suffering of the victims and the perpetrators, however artificially isolated the incident. Here eIraq maps key coverage of the alleged massacre in Haditha.

People: Tom Fox

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 06:03:00 CST

On March 10, 2005, the body of Tom Fox was discovered in a Baghdad neighborhood. Fox was in Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an organization that calls on Christians to "devote the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war." Fox had been working in Iraq since 2004, documenting detainee abuse, advocating for the human rights of all Iraqis, accompanying refugees and protesting the occupation. Electronic Iraq has assembled here some of his writings and the things others are writing about him so that his convictions, experiences, and the effects of his work can be better understood.

Abduction of four CPT members in Iraq (November 2005-March 2006)

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 11:44:00 CST

On November 26, 2005, four members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams were abducted in Iraq. The four men were two CPTers and two delegates, one American, one British, and two Canadian. Videos were aired on Al Jazeera. Demands were made and deadlines set. A video aired in March and showed all of the hostages except American Tom Fox. On March 10, 2006, Fox's was discovered in a Baghdad neighborhood. Two weeks later, on March 23, 2006, Fox's three colleagues - Jim Loney, Harmeet Sooden and Norman Kember - were freed in Baghdad after nearly four months in captivity. All reports indicate that the three were freed by a multinational force and that no shots were fired and none of the captors were present at the time of the raid, reportedly led by British troops. Kember, Loney, and Sooden, were found inside a house in western Baghdad with their hands tied.

The New Iraqi Constitution

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 12:26:00 CST

Following the invasion of Iraq by the United States, a proposed Iraqi constitution was drafted in 2005 by the interim Iraqi Government and assisted by the occupying forces. According to the de facto law in Iraq, the "Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period" should be replaced by a new constitution, which will be presented to the Iraqi people for approval in a constitutional ratification referendum to be held no later than October 15, 2005.

Cindy Sheehan & Camp Casey (Summer 2005)

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 11:49:00 CST

US Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, of Vacaville, California was killed on 4 April 2004, in Baghdad, Iraq, when his unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. Cindy Sheehan, his bereaved mother, travelled to Crawford, Texas to camp outside President Bush's vacation home in an attempt to meet the President. Since her protest began, "Camp Casey" has seen a large number of antiwar protestors travel to the site and has received international media coverage.

Iraqi Elections (30th January 2005)

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 01:00:00 CST

The interim Iraqi government chose 30 January 2005 as the date for its first nationwide election since the fall of Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime. Voters will choose a 275-member national assembly, whose primary task will be to debate and approve a new Iraqi constitution. The elections include votes for 18 provincial assemblies, and the autonomous Kurdish parliament in the north.