|
|
WAR IN IRAQ / » archive
page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13
From the Editor: Mr. Darh
Jamall is an American freelance journalist who went
to Iraq to cover the war for readers who want to
know more than what the mainstream media reports.
We offer his materials for people who would like
to learn from someone who reports directly to them,
without mediators, and can answer their questions,
if they have any. We consider sources like Mr. Jamall
as sources, which successfully compete with mainstream
media.
Iraqis Glad 2005 Over, Dim Hopes for 2006
*Inter Press Service*
Dahr Jamail and Arkan Hamed
http://dahrjamailiraq.com
*BAGHDAD, Dec 20 (IPS) - Despite the parliamentary
elections last week and temporary ease in violence,
Iraqis remain bitter about the outgoing year, and
sceptical of 2006.*
"As a doctor I usually travel daily from home
to college," said Um Feras, a doctor of physics
at Baghdad University who asked that her last name
be changed for her protection. "2005 was a
terrible year, and now it has become unacceptable
for me to leave my house to go teach due to the
troops, who always where sunglasses even on gloomy
days, aiming their rifles at everyone like they
are gangsters."
The majority of Iraqis in Baghdad now fear the security
forces, as dozens of people each week are "disappeared"
by police and soldiers around the city and new torture
chambers have been discovered recently.
Dr. Feras told IPS that the daily chaos on the streets
of Baghdad, such as closed roads and bridges, always
caused her to be late, as well as most of her students.
"Nothing is good in Iraq now," said
the doctor. "Torture, detained friends, pillaging
of houses, seeing neighbors suffering from poverty,
no electricity, no water and gun fights everywhere.
We have no relief from this suffering now."
Electricity in Baghdad remains far below pre-war
levels, with most houses enjoying 3-5 hours per
day. Meanwhile, oil exports in December have sunk
to a two-year low while up to 22 percent of the
21 billion dollar set aside by the U.S. government
for reconstruction projects in Iraq has been diverted
to security, according to Dan Speckhard, the director
of the Iraq reconstruction management office, who
made the announcement to reporters earlier this
month.
Asked about her hopes and expectations for 2006,
the doctor says: "I only want a normal life
far away from the interests of those bastards who
invaded our country. I don't care about the elections
and politics and the new political parties because
these are just a small part of the strategy of the
invaders."
The doctor began to cry then added: "My dream
for the coming year is that the invaders pull out,
we have Iraqis who love one another to govern Iraq,
we build something related to civilization and have
emotions towards our land and lives in order to
get back to the situation where each of us loves
the other and we feel the good will of God."
She paused for reflection before saying, "But
I can't say this will happen."
Other Iraqis, like 40 year-old leather worker Ismael
Mohammed feel similarly.
"2005 was
worse than 2004 because the coalition forces are
still
handling everything tightly in their hands and nothing
has changed except the faces of the governors,"
he told IPS in Baghdad, "They are trying to
get everything they can from Iraq, meanwhile financially
it is getting worse, fuel [availability] is worse
and the roads are worse."
His feelings about the infrastructure are common
around Baghdad, as Iraq is suffering an unemployment
rate of over 50 percent, oil exports remain below
pre-war levels, and the infrastructure remains in
shambles amidst the broken promises of the Bush
Administration.
"Democracy? Where
is our democracy?" asked Mohammed who said
his best day of 2005 was when one of his cousins
was released from Abu Ghraib, "Freedom? People
shout with no one to hear. Everything goes with
a bribe now. You want to be a professor-easy, just
give me the money and you are a professor."
Mohammed told IPS he remains sad and perplexed as
to why his cousin was recently killed. "We
are Shia. Yet he was killed."
And he asks: "Who profits from this constitution
because we already had one? Who is profiting from
all of this? Iraqi leather used to be the best all
over the Middle East, but now it even seems as though
the rain has stopped falling in Iraq, as my trade
has stopped growing. Now we even have to import
leather!"
According to the Institute for Policy Studies, a
Washington-based think tank, the value of Halliburton
stock, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's old military
company to which he still has financial ties, has
increased 138 percent since March 2003. Halliburton
has been awarded at least 10 billion dollar in contracts
for their operations in Iraq.
Meanwhile, U.S. citizens aren't benefiting from
the occupation either. The average monthly cost
of the Iraq war for the U.S. is 5.6 billion dollar
for a total of over 225 billion dollar thus far,
pushing their national debt over 8 trillion dollar,
according to the U.S. Department of Treasury. For
2006, Mohammed voiced the dreams of many Iraqis.
"To get rid of the invaders and have God
give back blessings to the people of Iraq,"
Mohammed told IPS. "We want good people in
positions of authority who will compensate Iraqis
who have suffered. I would like to see Iraqis work
as one unit, putting the good of the country ahead
of divisions between them and to go on dealing as
humans."
Mohammed added: "We need a lot of work to obtain
true sovereignty and to cure the problems brought
by the invaders, as independence isn't so easy that
we can get it in one year. Democracy cannot be given
as simple as that; we have to work hard for it and
educate people to get it."
|
 |
|
 |
 |
Sources: Thousands of Turkish troops enter Iraq
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials said.... |
 |
Could an al-Qaeda Attack Trigger War With Iran?
Following revelations of a George W. Bush administration policy to hold Iran responsible for any al-Qaeda attack on the U.S. that could be portrayed as planned on Iranian soil... |
|
U.S. doubles air attacks in Iraq
BAGHDAD - Four years into the war that opened with "shock and awe," U.S. warplanes have again stepped up attacks in Iraq , dropping bombs at more than twice the rate of a year ago. ... |
|
NPR interviews Dahr Jamail on State of Iraq Hospitals
The five minute interview with Michelle Norris is a good one. However, if the NPR show were true to its title, "All Things Considered"... |
|
Bipartisan panel urges agencies to order civilians to Iraq
With the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating," the United States must begin the process of shifting troops out of the country, members of a bipartisan panel said Wednesday... |
|
Sunnis Reject
Early Iraq Election Results, Calling for Inquiry
BAGHDAD,
Iraq, Dec. 20 - Sunni Arab leaders angrily rejected early election
results on Tuesday, saying the vote had been fixed in... |
|
Dispelling
Myths About Iraq
The
bruising debate over U.S. Iraq policy often seems to stray far from
the reality on the ground inside Iraq. Although Iraq’s progress
... |
|
Iraqis Glad
2005 Over, Dim Hopes for 2006
*BAGHDAD,
Dec 20 (IPS) - Despite the parliamentary elections last week
and temporary ease in violence ... |
|
Religious Groups
Take Early Lead in Iraqi Ballots
BAGHDAD,
Iraq, Dec. 19 - Early voting results announced by Iraqi electoral
officials on Monday, with nearly two-thirds of the ballots ... |
|
David Brooks:
Taking a long view of the Iraq conflict
WASHINGTON
Over the past few years, the Iraq war has morphed from a war of liberation
against Saddam Hussein into a civil conflict between Sunnis and Shiites
... |
|
Yosfiya: The
21st Century Nazis Are Here
Weary
of the overall failure of the US media to accurately report on the
realities of the war in Iraq for the Iraqi people and US soldiers,
Dahr Jamail went to Iraq to report on the war himself... |
|
U.S. Is Said
to Pay to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers
WASHINGTON,
Nov. 30 - Titled "The Sands Are Blowing Toward a Democratic Iraq,"
an article written this week for publication in the Iraqi press was
scornful of outsiders' pessimism about the country's future... |
|
 |
N. Korea warns of nuclear war if attacked
North Korea will respond to a pre-emptive U.S. military attack with an "annihilating strike and a nuclear war," the state-run media said Monday, heightening its antagonistic rhetoric.... |
|
Israel says no negotiations on soldier
Palestinian militants holding an Israeli soldier gave Israel less than 24 hours Monday to start releasing 1,500 Palestinian prisoners ... |
|
In the Shadow
of Sharon
IT
is too early to assess Ariel Sharon's legacy. To be sure, he will
be remembered as one of Israel's great field commanders, the wily,
bulldozing general ... |
|
The New Red,
White and Blue
As
we enter 2006, we find ourselves in trouble, at home and abroad. We
are in trouble because we are led by defeatists - wimps, actually... |
|
Life After
Ariel Sharon
When
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced two months ago that he was leaving
the right-wing Likud Party, which he had embodied for three decades... |
|
Administration
Cites War Vote in Spying Case
WASHINGTON,
Dec. 19 - President Bush and two of his most senior aides argued Monday
that the highly ... |
|
Austrian presidency
will not press for EU constitution
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik has indicated
that her country's incoming six-month EU... |
|
DEFINING THE
AMERICAN INTEREST
The
American Interest (AI) is a new and independent voice devoted to the
broad theme of "America in the world." Our agenda is threefold.
The first is to analyze America's... |
|
THE AMAZING
BUBBLE-MAN
Alan
Greenspan is the great guru of the American economy, the spell-master
over the fortunes of multitudes the world over. Chairman of... |
|
US DEPARTMENT
OF STATE RELEASED A PRESS STATEMENT ABOUT U.S.-IZRAEL STRATEGIC DIALOGUE
On
November 28, 2005, the United States and Israel conducted a strategic
dialogue led by Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns
and Minister of Jerusalem... |
|
An Offering
of Detail But No New Substance
Thirty-two
months after U.S. forces invaded Iraq, President Bush's advisers concluded
that his message of "stay the course" has been translated by a weary
American public as "stay forever." And so yesterday the president
tried to reassure the nation... |
|
9/11 Commissioners
Fault Administration
WASHINGTON
-- Reviewing action on recommendations it made last year, the Sept.
11 commission on Monday criticized the Bush administration for not
adopting standards for treatment of captured terror suspects... |
|
US
refuses to rule out use of torture
THE
White House has refused to rule out the use of torture in an effort
to prevent a major terrorist attack, arguing the war on terror could
present a "difficult dilemma" and the US administration
was duty-bound to protect the American people... |
|
American
Majority Says Bush Misled on Iraq
(Angus
Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in the United States are questioning
their president’s motives to launch the coalition effort, according
to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal... |
|
 |
EU opens door to hidden TV adverts
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – More frequent commercial breaks as well as product placements, ... |
|
EU states under fire for red tape on foreign workers
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission is set next week to present a report criticising ... |
|
There is too much hyperbole over the EU consitutional treaty
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - I am getting increasingly fed up with those who qualify the Constitutional Treaty as a "radical new departure" ... |
|
Brussels asks Helsinki to push for stronger EU in criminal matters
The European Commission has renewed calls to boost EU powers in criminal matters as well as increase the role of ... |
|
MEPs shelve prickly anti-fraud debate, again
The European Parliament has for the third time postponed a plenary debate on ... |
|
Frattini calls for national search into CIA flights and prisons
EU justice comissioner Franco Frattini has urged national prosecutors and judges ... |
|
EU praises Bush for wanting 'end' to Guantanamo
The EU has welcomed US president George W. Bush's statements on ending the Guantanamo ... |
|
This WEEK in the European Union
EUOBSERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (2-9 July) This week will be the first in office for the Finnish EU presidency. ... |
|
EU troops kill
wife of Bosnian war crimes suspect
The
wife of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Dragomir Abazovic was shot
to death in a gun battle as EU troops stormed the couple's house ... |
|
Bird flu kills
third child in Turkey
Avian
influenza has cost the life of a third child in Eastern Turkey, raising
fears that the deadly strain of the so-called bird flu virus could
spread ... |
|
EU draws up
Adriatic gas plan after Russia-Ukraine fiasco
The
EU might build a new gas pipeline on the Adriatic Sea coast in order... |
|
Slovak-Vatican
abortion deal criticised by EU experts
Slovakia
has been challenged by EU legal experts over an agreement with the
Vatican... |
|
Commissioner
proposes constitution cherry-picking
French
commissioner Jacques Barrot has proposed that single elements of the
EU constitution be taken out in a bid to save the charter... |
|
Blair takes
hits on EU budget deal
British
prime minister Tony Blair, defending the deal on EU’s budget
in front of the House of Commons... |
|
Italian bank
chief resigns
Italian
Central Bank governor Antonio Fazio resigned yesterday after the Italian
government had announced... |
|
WTO fallout
expected
Polish
experts say the WTO deal could harm EU exporters of milk, sugar, beef
and grain leading to oversupply... |
|
Austria to
revive constitution chat
Austria
plans to revive the EU constitution debate and plough ahead with Turkey
accession talks under its incoming... |
|
EU threatens
to cut Palestine funds if Hamas wins
The
EU's exterior relations chief Javier Solana will stop EU funding for
Palestine if Hamas wins the Palestinian elections saying... |
|
Ukraine snubbed
in Russia gas row
Ukraine
prime minister Yuri Yekhanourov flew to Moscow for gas price talks
but came back with nothing as Russia... |
|
Serbian grip
on Kosovo weakening
Less
and less people in Serbia and on an international level support the
idea of a Serbian Kosovo, Le Figaro writes... |
|
New Baltic
gas pipeline scheme
Finland
and Estonia are talking about building a gas pipeline linking... |
|
Germany to
cooperate with Italy
German
chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday visited Italian prime minister
Silvio Berlusconi amid promises... |
|
Turkey pressed
to stop blocking EU-NATO meetings
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Turkey has come under increased pressure to stop blocking
strategic meetings between the EU and NATO... |
|
Slovaks
voting on design of euro coins
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Slovak citizens are voting on the country's future eurocoin
designs, with a possibility... |
|
Bosnian
leaders in Brussels for US-led constitution talks
Bosnian
political leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss a reform of their
country’s constitution, on the basis of a draft... |
|
Polish
government deepens eurosceptic ties
The
new Polish government secured parliamentary backing on Thursday (10
November) but some fear mounting tension with Brussels in store... |
|
Estonian
foreign minister denied entry visa to Russia
Russia
has refused to give the Estonian foreign minister an entry visa, sparking
a diplomatic row with Tallinn... |
|
Ex-commissioner
Edith Cresson may lose EU pension
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - The European Commission has called for the suspension
of EU pension rights for former French prime minister... |
|
Letters
to commissioners to go public in EU transparency drive
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - The European Commission has adopted today (9 November)
a controversial "transparency initiative."... |
|
|
|
 |
Traffic
Control Department of Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs
:: Sofia
University
Varna's Free University ::
Municipality of Varna ::
Munucipality of Sofia ::
Bulgarian Lawyers
Krum Zahariev - web design ::
Patchwork PR & Communcation Co
Columbia Broadcasting School Washington D.C. ::
Long & Foster Inc.
NC News & Documentary Productions Washington D.C.
|
|
