Electronic Iraq : War Every Day (eIraq Blog)

"Changing Lives": Young Iraqi women filmmakers tell their stories

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:14:09 CST

A powerful story from young Iraqi refugees and immigrants in Australia: Young Iraqi women living in Western Sydney have created digital stories about their experiences - harrowing journeys by boat to Australia, their time in detention, stories of longing for family left behind, and dreams of future lives in a new land.

The landscape of broken lenses

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:55:13 CST

Yesterday news reports began streaming in of a "major security operation" being conducted by the Iraqi security forces, backed by US air and other support, in many parts of Southern Iraq. The main target appears to be the Mahdi Army, which has observed a ceasefire for many months. That ceasefire now seems strained to the breaking point. Moqtada Sadr has called for a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience, and many Sadrist-controlled areas are responding. But while news reports vary in their ability to place these ongoing developments in context, most are missing the most essential dynamics at work.

Framing Iraq's politics, and partition by other names

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:52:50 CST

One of the most destructive qualities of how events in Iraq are framed in the English-language media is the oversimplification of Iraq's political actors into three groups: Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. A recent article by Reidar Visser in Middle East Report is a much-needed reminder - through the lens of the debate over the proposed Shiite "super region" - that without understanding the true dynamics and complexities of Iraq's politics, there is little hope of understanding paths toward a better future for Iraq's people.

International Crisis Group on the Mahdi Army Ceasefire

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:35:06 CST

While speculation continues on the reasons for a reduction in violent deaths in parts of Iraq in recent months, one thing is clear: It has a lot to do with the Mahdi Army. A new report from the International Crisis Group assesses the role that the Mahdi Army's ceasefire has played in reducing violence in Iraq in recent months, and makes recommendations to all parties involved about next steps.

A window on returnees

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:35:46 CST

The Iraqi and US governments have made much of the return of small numbers of displaced people to Baghdad. An article today casts light on the tenuous nature of the "safety" that has allowed some to go home. Also, a recent UN report says that more Iraqis are again entering Syria than returning to Iraq.

"I see a lot going on, but nothing is happening"

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:35:34 CST

Awakening councils vs. Iraqi army and police. The failed and failing political process, and why it's about real issues, not an inability to agree. The ongoing displacement crisis, and the humanitarian catastrophe that just keeps getting worse. As February begins, a roundup of recent trends in Iraq (and news items covering them) that are not well addressed in the mainstream debate.

Opium in Iraq, and Iraqi "warlords"

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:37:17 CST

Drug cultivation, specifically the growing of opium poppies, is on the rise in many parts Iraq, apparently conducted under the direction and support of militias and other armed groups. Two recent articles shed light on the industry - new to Iraq - and in the process give us an alternative look at the conditions created and even supported by the new US strategy in Iraq.

Outside of the frame: It's not all about sectarian conflict

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:43:05 CST

The recent article in the Daily Telegraph describes an emerging alliance between Iraqi Sunni, Shiite, and secular opposition parties that underscores the political roots of much of the conflict in Iraq, highlighting the limitations of the reductionist interpretation of the Iraqi-Iraqi conflicts that tends to focus only on sectarian differences.

Anthropology and US-Iranian cooperation

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:41:53 CST

Reports from Iraq are often numbingly wide-focus, with sparse attention given to the specific interactions and dynamics taking place in areas which share little in common in terms of daily realities. We are left with an image of "Iraq" shaped by headlines rather than in-depth analysis or perspective. Here, a couple of links to articles that offer snapshots into how non-military people working with the US on the ground see the situation.

So, how ARE things in Iraq?

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:07:48 CST

Iraqis are returning to Baghdad from abroad, but the flow is still only a trickle. And the differences in numbers being reported by aid groups and the US and Iraqi governments underscore the political value these numbers hold for proponents of the "Surge". But what even this debate misses is the difference between reducing the number of violent deaths for now, and laying the foundations for a future of peace for Iraq.

Important in Iraq, but not in Iowa

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:45:04 CST

Much is being made in media and politics of the temporary reduction in violence in parts of Iraq. Pundits have even suggested that Iraq is now less of a political issue than it was even a few months ago, because of recent American military "successes" there.

Tonight, as the Iowa caucuses are held, Iraq is (surprise) still an issue in the election. But what do they mean when they say, "Iraq"?

Here are two key issues affecting Iraq that the candidates, and the American public, aren't talking about enough.

End of year bomb bonuses

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 06:15:04 CST

A piece from the New York Times about the terrible work of Iraq's street sweepers, and their grim incentives.

Condolences, support for family of slain Iraqi journalist

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:14:22 CST

Over at the online video project Alive in Baghdad, they are raising funds for a fallen member of their journalistic team who was killed on December 14th.

A life behind walls...

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:40:02 CST

In the Christian Science Monitor today, a story that needs no setup beyond its headline: Baghdad safer, but it's a life behind walls.

"There is nothing sweeter than being in Iraq. I will not leave again."

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:22:44 CST

Reuters is reporting that while the number of Iraqis displaced exceeds the number of returnees, Iraqis are coming home in droves.

Glimpses of life in Baghdad

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:07:22 CST

Everybody seems to have a story like this right now--with a headline like today's in the New York Times: Baghdad Starts to Exhale as Security Improves. That life is coming back to Baghdad's streets--even as child mortality rates sore, poverty remains endemic, and displacement continues--is no small thing. In a city synonymous with death, signs of life should be cause for hope. The New York times provides several multimedia glimpses of Baghdad's recent signs of life. Don't miss this opportunity to learn something about Baghdad other than the grim statistics.

Ambulance drivers take a deep breath

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:59:48 CST

Another barometer story, a look at Baghdad's ambulance drivers who are targeted less and responding to fewer grizzly scenes.

The Cemetery Says Violence is Down

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 06:34:58 CST

Early on in the war, with official counts of the vicitms of American and Iraqi violence near impossible to come by, reporters started using morgue and cemetery activity as a barometer. A Reuters story, Iraq's busy cemeteries pause as violence drops, continues that tradition.

Iraqi Journalist Working for the Washington Post Killed

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:04:16 CST

Saif Aldin is one of nearly 100 Iraqi journalists who have been killed in Iraq. He was 32-years-old.

The Only Iraqi They'll Ever Meet

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:57:24 CST

An NPR report describes an enormous US base in Iraq. It is a place of isolation where the only Iraqis the soldiers meet are the merchants who show up weekly selling pirated DVD's.