Iraq
Pride and prejudice: The targeting of gay men in Iraq
Near East Quarterly, December 2010
Journalism court threat to Iraqi media
Comment Is Free, 25 Jul 2010
Iraq's proposed new journalism court is a further blow to the country's already oppressed media
Beautiful
Iraq
Comment Is Free, May 4, 2007
Want a reliable indicator of a country's
mental tenacity? Don't underestimate the power of the pageant.
UN
chief urges Maliki to stay executions
Guardian, January 8 2007
Ban Ki-moon, the new UN
secretary-general, has urged the Iraqi government to
grant a stay of execution to "those whose death
sentences may be carried out in the near future".
More
troops will not solve crisis in Iraqi leadership,
experts warn
Guardian, January 6 2007
Iraq's prime minister, Nouri
al-Maliki, is due to unveil his rescue package for the
country next week, a day or two before George Bush
does the same in Washington. The question, though, is
whether Mr Maliki's heart is really in it.
Victim
of the bloggers
Comment Is Free, January 5 2007
Online conspiracy theorists have
once again caused a stir by attempting to expose Iraqi
police captain, Jamil Hussein, as a fictional AP
source.
Iraq
to go ahead with hangings despite UN call to halt them
Guardian, January 5 2007
The Iraqi government said
yesterday it will execute two of Saddam Hussein's
henchmen despite a call from the UN to refrain from
hanging them.
Official
who filmed unruly scenes at Saddam's execution arrested
Guardian, January 4 2007
An Iraqi official believed to have used a mobile phone to film Saddam
Hussein's execution was arrested yesterday as the authorities in Baghdad
reportedly prepared to hang two of the ex-dictator's henchmen.
Prescott
attacks 'deplorable' Saddam execution scene
Guardian, January 3 2007
The manner of Saddam Hussein's execution was "deplorable" and could
not be endorsed, the deputy prime minister, John Prescott, said yesterday,
breaking the British government's silence over the insults and sectarian chants
heard as the former Iraqi leader went to the gallows.
Saddam
was model prisoner, says nurse
Guardian, January 2 2007
Saddam Hussein was mostly an uncomplaining prisoner who saved crumbs to feed
the birds, watered weeds in the jail compound and believed that cigars were good
for his health, according to a military nurse who cared for him in US custody.
Emotions
in Arab world range from elation to outrage
Guardian, January 1 2007
The Arab world was divided over the hanging of Saddam Hussein, with the
Middle East's two leading satellite TV channels reflecting the divisions between
Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Saddam
executed
Guardian, Saturday December 30 2006
Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi despot who menaced neighbours and murdered his own
people during a quarter century of wretched tyranny, died ignominiously on the
gallows shortly before dawn this morning at the hands of his former enemies.
Saddam's
'final message' urges Iraqis to unite against US
Guardian, Thursday December 28 2006
In what may prove to be the final message from Saddam Hussein before his
execution, the ousted dictator urged Iraqis to unite against the US and Iran and
portrayed himself as a potential martyr.
Saddam
to hang within 30 days
Guardian, Wednesday December 27 2006
Saddam Hussein could be hanged within days after the rejection of his appeal
by Iraq's highest court yesterday.
A
welcome from Beckett, but scorn and scepticism abroad
Guardian, Thursday December 7 2006
The British government gave a brief but favourable welcome last night to the
Iraq Study Group's report, as other international reactions ranged from jubilant
to sceptical.
Beyond
the brink
Comment Is Free, November 28, 2006
While politicians and large sections of the media are still reluctant to admit
it, Iraq appears to be in the throes of civil war already.
Iraq:
the Mad Max scenario
Comment Is Free, October 17, 2006
Never
mind democracy - our current goal is to keep Iraq from
being wiped off the map altogether.
Saddam
no dictator, says judge
Guardian, September 15 2006
Saddam Hussein was not a dictator, the chief judge at his genocide trial
said yesterday.
Who
is Bush kidding?
Comment Is Free, June 19, 2006
A report from the US ambassador in Baghdad
reveals what life in 'free and democratic' Iraq is really like.
Zarqawi:
don't celebrate too soon
Comment Is Free, June 8, 2006
Rather than being a blow against al-Qaida,
the death of its leader in Iraq could relieve the terror group of a problem
and give it a martyr.
Bush's
victory in Iraq
Comment Is Free, June 6, 2006
Cheer up, George: there is one person at
least who understands the nature of your triumph.
Saddam
trial hears phone call linked to massacre claims
Guardian, Tuesday April 25 2006
Prosecutors in the trial of Saddam Hussein played a recording yesterday said
to be of a phone conversation in which the ousted Iraqi leader agreed to
"change the social reality" in the Shia town of Dujail.
Ten
reasons to kill an Iraqi
Comment Is Free, April 18, 2006
Sunni, Shia or Christian, there is usually
something.
Seven
British soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan
Guardian, Saturday April 15 2006
Seven British soldiers were injured yesterday in incidents in Afghanistan and
Iraq.
Bold,
brave and incompetent
Comment Is Free, April 11, 2006
Opposition to
Ibrahim al-Jaafari is based on partisan interests, but that does not mean he's a
good prime minister.
Stop
this 'civil war' debate
Comment Is Free, April 10, 2006
There is an "incipient civil
war" in Iraq, according to the Boston Globe. More cautiously, the Albany
Times Union in New York state talks of "what appears to be an incipient
civil war". Iraq's deputy interior minister, on the other hand, doesn't
mince his words. There has been an undeclared civil war for the past 12
months," he says. It just needs someone to blow a starting whistle to
make the whole thing official, presumably.
The
Fukuyama experience
Comment Is Free, March 24 2006
Listening
to Francis Fukuyama these days can be a disconcerting
experience.
All
quiet in Baghdad
Comment Is Free, March 30, 2006
Good news from Iraq, at last. It's going
fine. We have the word of Howard Kaloogian.
Hello,
is that Saddam?
Comment Is Free, March 29, 2006
Has the former Iraqi leader really been
chatting by phone from his jail cell with the Arabic TV station?
Weapons
of mass deception?
Comment Is Free, March 28, 2006
Did President Bush's dirty tricks
department never consider planting weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?
What
to do about Iraq
Comment Is Free, March 20 2006
We won't find a 'solution', but
there is a way forward.
US
launches biggest Iraq air assault since 2003
The Guardian, March 17 2006
The US military said yesterday it
had launched the biggest air assault on Iraq since its
invasion in 2003, with American and Iraqi troops
targeting insurgents near Samarra, the city that has
come to symbolise the threat of civil war.
Ruling
Shia coalition won election, results confirm
The Guardian, February 11 2006
Final results in Iraq's election,
announced yesterday almost two months after the poll,
confirmed that the ruling Shia coalition, the United
Iraqi Alliance, won 128 seats to become the largest
parliamentary bloc but without an overall majority
US
frees five women, but denies deal with journalist's
kidnappers
The Guardian, January 27 2006
The US military freed five women
detainees in Iraq yesterday, but officials denied any
connection with the demands of kidnappers holding the
American journalist Jill Carroll.
Suicide
attack at Iraqi funeral kills 36, wounds 40
The Guardian, January 05 2006
A suicide bomber caused carnage at a Shia funeral
and gunmen ambushed a vital fuel convoy outside
Baghdad in a series of attacks that killed more than
50 people yesterday, the deadliest day in Iraq for
weeks.
US
warplane used to target Iraqi family home
The Guardian, January 04 2006
Between six and 14 members of an Iraqi family were
reported dead yesterday after US warplanes obliterated
a house in the northern oil town of Baiji. Enraged
local officials described the attack as unjustified
and said it had killed an innocent family
2005
Sunnis
shun government talks in protest at election results
The Guardian, December 30 2005
Sunni Arab groups in Iraq refused yesterday to join
talks about a new government until the United Nations
reviews disputed results in the recent parliamentary
elections.
Boredom
sets in over Saddam trial 'soap opera'
The Guardian, December 24 2005
"Oh oppressor, where will you go and hide
now?" the voice sings, "... leaving behind
all these injustices, worse than any committed by any
other ruler or government."
Nowhere
to run
The Guardian, November 29 2005
There is a remarkable article in the latest issue
of the American Jewish weekly, Forward. It calls for
President Bush to be impeached and put on trial
"for misleading the American people, and
launching ...
23
dead as Shia and Sunni militia clash after raid to
free hostage
The Guardian, October 28 2005
At least 23 people died when supporters of the
radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr clashed with Sunni
militants near Baghdad yesterday, an interior ministry
official said. The fighting broke out after Mr Sadr's
Madhi army militia raided a house in Nahraw
Straw
warns Iran over insurgents
The Guardian, October 17 2005
Britain and Iran traded new
accusations of meddling in each other's affairs
yesterday, as London warned Tehran to stop helping
Iraqi insurgents and the Iranian president accused
British forces of involvement in weekend bombings in
Iran.
Britain
and US give Iran new warning not to back insurgents
The Guardian, October 17 2005
Britain and the US issued a fresh
warning to Iran over its suspected support for Iraqi
insurgents yesterday as Tony Blair and the US
secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, met for talks at
Chequers.
Revealed:
Al-Qaida plan to seize control of Iraq
The Guardian, October 13 2005
Osama bin Laden's deputy has sent
a letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the militant leader
in Iraq, setting out a blueprint for taking control of
the country when American troops leave, according to
US intelligence officials.
The
cardinal rule ... you don't target civilians
Guardian Unlimited, October 03 2005
Aisha Gadafy, the daughter of the
Libyan leader, declared her support for insurgents in
Iraq last week.
Report
attacks 'myth' of foreign fighters
The Guardian, September 23 2005
The US and the Iraqi government
have overstated the number of foreign fighters in
Iraq, "feeding the myth" that they are the
backbone of the insurgency, an American thinktank says
in a new report.
.iq
test
The Guardian,
July 05 2004
A new battle for control of Iraq is looming -
this time on the world wide web ...
Fig-leaf
freedom
The Guardian,
January 31 2005
President George Bush has pronounced the election
in Iraq a success. "The world is hearing the voice of freedom from the
centre of the Middle East," he said yesterday.
World's
news channels play to prejudices
The Guardian,
January 31 2005
In the studios at Fox News, Rupert Murdoch's
American channel, they could scarcely contain their joy at the
"incredible" reports that voter turnout in Iraq had reached 95%
"in some areas".
2004
Iraq's
problems
passed on
The Guardian,
June 28 2004
One of the few good things to be said about the
British empire is that we got rid of it in style.
They
have put off every big issue for a later date, when the US is no longer
ringmaster
The Guardian, March 09 2004
The signing of Iraq's new interim constitution
may have brought sighs of relief in Washington but the arguments behind it are
likely to continue in Iraq, according to experts interviewed by the Guardian.
2003
Spoils of war
The Guardian,
October 13 2003
US plans to sell off Iraqi businesses are simply the modern equivalent of
pillage ...
Zionist settler joins Iraqi to promote trade
The Guardian,
October 07 2003
An ultra-Zionist Israeli settler has joined
forces with the nephew of the Iraqi leader Ahmad Chalabi to promote investment
in Iraq.
Network
error
The Guardian,
September 29 2003
Any day now, the authorities in Iraq will
announce the winners of a contest to provide Iraq's long-awaited mobile phone
service. This is one area where Halliburton - vice-president Dick Cheney's old
firm - isn't a front-runner, so the outcome could be in...
Friends of the family
The Guardian,
September 24 2003
Fancy your chances making a fast buck from the
reconstruction of Iraq? Well, you'll need to invest in a bullet-proof vest for
starters, and then make some well-connected business contacts on the ground.
The Ayatollah: Iraq's archduke?
The Guardian,
September 01 2003
The worst act of violence in Iraq since the fall
of Saddam Hussein was overshadowed in Britain's broadsheet papers on Saturday by
news that Tony Blair's media adviser had resigned.
Another fine mess
The Guardian,
September 11 2003
US plans to sell off Iraqi businesses are simply the modern equivalent of
pillage ...
Iraq's fresh start may be another false dawn
The Guardian,
September 05 2003
Six times since the fall of Saddam Hussein
British and US officials have summoned journalists to briefings on Iraq. Six
times the story has been the same: there have been mistakes, but from now on
it's going to be different.
Get real
The Guardian,
August 26 2003
Talk of impending failure in Iraq may sound like
whinging when it comes from those who opposed the war, but last week the
unspeakable seven-letter F-word was uttered by one of the bastions of US
neo-conservative hawkery.
Searching
for answers
The Guardian,
August 18 2003
The Hutton inquiry is unlikely to discover why Tony Blair chose to support
the US invasion of Iraq ...
Voice of free Iraq walks out on US
The Guardian,
August 06 2003
A broadcaster who became known as "the voice of
free Iraq" after the fall of Saddam Hussein has walked out of his job, saying
the United States is losing the propaganda war.
The captives of liberation
The Guardian,
July 02 2003
"American soldiers," the New York Times
lamented the other day, "sometimes infuriate Iraqis by running afoul of
time-honoured tradition." It was referring to an incident last Thursday
night when troops on patrol in Baghdad heard gunshots and rushed int...
Getting a bad press
The Guardian,
June 23 2003
Among the more interesting by-products of the
collapse of law and order in Iraq is a sudden free-for-all in newspaper
publishing. New titles appear almost every day. Najaf - a town with slightly
more than 300,000 inhabitants - now has some 30 newspapers...
Fury
at US as attacks kill three journalists
The Guardian,
April 09 2003
The Arab satellite television channel al-Jazeera
is to pull its reporters out of Iraq after one of them was killed during a US
air raid on Baghdad.
Hawkish lawyer to oversee Iraqi ministries
The Guardian,
April 04 2003
A Pentagon lawyer who sought to have US citizens imprisoned indefinitely without charge as part of the war on terrorism
willsupervise civil administration in Iraq once Saddam Hussein isremoved.
US
disputes cloud postwar plans
The Guardian,
April 02 2003
Plans to set up a US-controlled government to
rule Iraq after the removal of Saddam Hussein have become embroiled in a series
of rows involving the state department, the Pentagon and Iraqi opposition
groups.
US
draws up secret plan to impose regime on Iraq
The Guardian,
April 01 2003
A disagreement has broken out at a senior level
within the Bush administration over a new government that the US is secretly
planning in Kuwait to rule Iraq in the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of
Saddam Hussein.
Television agendas shape images of war
The Guardian,
March 27 2003
Al-Jazeera causes outcry with broadcast of battle casualties
The Guardian,
March 24 2003
Al-Jazeera, the Arab satellite channel which
angered the United States with its coverage of the Afghan war, has caused a new
furore by broadcasting blood-and-guts images from the invasion of Iraq.
Iraq
war diary
A daily commentary, March 19 - April 14, 2003
Opposition attracts
The Guardian,
March 10 2003
Public opinion in the Middle East is increasingly
backing western critics of a war in Iraq, and
questioning the region's own leaders ...
Right
takes centre stage
The Guardian,
March 04 2003
At the annual dinner of the American Enterprise
Institute last Wednesday, the US president, George Bush, gave a speech outlining
his political visions for Iraq and Palestine, and what he sees as the link
between them.
Wargames open with clandestine broadcasts
The Guardian,
February 25 2003
A voice in Arabic crackles over the airwaves:
"This is Radio Tikrit." It sounds like an Iraqi station broadcasting from Saddam
Hussein's home town, but it isn't.
Conflict and catchphrases
The Guardian,
February 24 2003
Faced with obstruction from the French and
Germans, ransom demands from the Turks, and opposition from millions of
demonstrators around the world, the desired invasion of Iraq has fallen behind
schedule.
Poodle power
The Guardian,
February 17 2003
Far from being the subservient partner in the
transatlantic relationship, many Arabs believe that
Britain actually holds the key to preventing a US-led
invasion of Iraq ...
UK
war dossier a sham, say experts
The Guardian,
February 07 2003
Downing Street was last night plunged into acute
international embarrassment after it emerged that large parts of the British
government's latest dossier on Iraq - allegedly based on "intelligence material"
- were taken from published academic articles, some of them several years old.
Weapons teams discover nothing
The Guardian,
January 01 2003
UN inspection teams in Iraq have found "zilch" so
far, but have had little help from intelligence agencies to guide them in their
hunt for illicit weapons, one of the inspectors said yesterday.
2002
The
papers that cried wolf
The Guardian,
December 16 2002
Last week brought yet another terrifying headline from an American newspaper:
"US suspects al-Qaida got nerve agent from Iraqis".
Poisoning the air
The Guardian,
December 09 2002
One of the oldest tricks in the run-up to a war
is to spread terrifying stories of things that the enemy may be about to do.
Government officials plant these tales, journalists water them and the public,
for the most part, swallow them.
Fighting talk
The Guardian,
November 25 2002
How likely is a war in Iraq? Going about my daily work in
Cairo over the last week or so, I have put this question to a variety of people
and have received almost every possible answer. The replies ranged from a 90%
probability of war (from a man in a cafe) down to a mere 5% probability (from a
rather senior figure in the Egyptian government).
To war or not to war
The Guardian,
November 11 2002
Shortly after Colin Powell took over as US
secretary of state, he talked about rebuilding the international consensus on
Iraq. Well, in a roundabout and rather accidental way, that is what has happened
with the new security council resolution on weapons inspections.
X marks the despot
The Guardian,
October 16 2002
It must have been extremely tedious work counting
ballot papers in Iraq last night.
Is this British-trained woman at the heart of a germ
warfare plot?
The Guardian,
September 25 2002
She is a 46-year-old mother with a PhD from the
University of East Anglia ... and she takes up more space in Tony Blair's Iraq
dossier than either of Saddam Hussein's two sons.
Saddam's kitchen cabinet keeps quiet
The Guardian,
September 17 2002
The decisions Saddam Hussein takes over the next
few days after holding a rare, day-long meeting with his inner circle are likely
to determine his own fate and that of his regime.
Dictator's choice
The Guardian,
September 10 2002
George Bush has the power to make war but Saddam
Hussein has the power to salvage peace. No matter how much countries and
individuals protest or question the justification for war with Iraq, there is
little they can do now to deflect President Bush from his chosen course.
Playing skittles with Saddam
The Guardian,
September 03 2002
In a televised speech last week, President Hosni
Mubarak of Egypt predicted devastating consequences for the Middle East if Iraq
is attacked.
Mystery of Abu Nidal's death deepens
The Guardian,
August 22 2002
The questions about Abu Nidal's death multiplied
yesterday when the Palestinian guerrilla leader's organisation dismissed Iraqi
claims that he committed suicide and alleged that he had been assassinated.
US thinktanks give lessons in foreign policy
August 19 2002
A little-known fact about Richard Perle, the
leading advocate of hardline policies at the Pentagon, is that he once wrote a
political thriller. The book, appropriately called Hard Line, is set in the days
of the cold war with the Soviet Union. Its hero is a male senior official at the
Pentagon, working late into the night and battling almost single-handedly to
rescue the US from liberal wimps at the state department who want to sign away
America's nuclear deterrent in a disarmament deal with the Russians.
Assassinate or inspect?
August 14 2002
In 1981 former President Ronald Reagan issued an
executive order providing that "no person employed by or acting on behalf of the
United States government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in,
assassination" (US considers assassination squads, August 13).
Saddam woos Arab friends and enemies
The Guardian,
August 10 2002
As the US fights an uphill battle to win support
for an invasion of Iraq, Baghdad has been quietly gathering declarations of
sympathy - if not outright support - in the Middle East and beyond.
Blair is our last hope, says Iraq
The Guardian,
August 07 2002
Iraq is making an increasingly desperate round of
diplomatic moves aimed at staving off an American invasion, focusing its efforts
on Britain which it believes holds the key to preventing war.
War games
The Guardian,
August 05 2002
Amid the beating of war drums there has been much
talk about what the United States may do to Iraq but very little about what Iraq
itself may have in mind. From what can be learned of Iraq's strategy, it
consists of two parts: first to try to prevent an attack and, second, if the
invasion comes, to make it as difficult and costly as possible for the
Americans.
Jordan's double game over Iraq
The Guardian,
July 15 2002
Friday evening at Kensington town hall in London.
Exiled Iraqi army officers and opposition leaders were just about to start their
much-heralded talks on the overthrow of Saddam Hussein when a cry of "Media!
Media!"...
Iraq and ruin
The Guardian,
June 17 2002
Iraq has kept out of the limelight for several
months now, but various small incidents over the last few days provide a
reminder that toppling Saddam Hussein is still high up on George Bush's task
list, even if he's unsure how to do it.
US wants to oust Saddam even if he makes concessions
The Guardian,
May 06 2002
The US may try to remove Saddam Hussein from
power even if he agrees to new weapons inspections, the secretary of state,
Colin Powell, said yesterday.
Taking tea with the dissident
The Guardian,
March 19 2002
There's a flask of ready-made tea on the table
and a large plate of traditional Iraqi biscuits, because these days, Saad Jabr
can never be quite sure when guests will drop in. After a lull of several years,
the living room of his flat in Kensington, west London, has suddenly become a
centre of activity for Iraq's opposition-in-exile.
Life after Saddam: the winners and losers
The Guardian,
February 25 2002
You don't need a weatherman to know the way the
wind blows, and at the moment it isn't blowing Saddam Hussein's way.
After Saddam
The Guardian,
February 23 2002
Emboldened by success in Afghanistan and tired of
being trapped in the quagmire over sanctions and weapons inspections in Iraq,
the United States has embarked on a plan to rid the world of Saddam Hussein.
Ousting Saddam by force is certainly a hazardous enterprise, but the US, after
years of hesitation, seems determined to commit whatever resources it takes to
finish the job.
Online Iraqis vote for new leader
The Guardian,
March 26 2002
In excitement it may not rival the great Pop Idol
ballot, but wired-up Iraqis are voting this week for a man to replace Saddam
Hussein.
Doublespeaking of terrorism
The Guardian,
December 03 2001
If the US stretches the definition of terrorism to
justify an attack on Iraq, it will stretch the
international coalition to breaking point ...
Another side of Saddam - the shy romantic novelist
The Guardian,
May 26 2001
A tragic novel of loveless marriage, rape and
death is causing a stir in Iraq and at the CIA. Could its unnamed author be the
Butcher of Baghdad? ...
Are
smart sanctions the answer?
The Guardian,
May 21 2001
Sanctions against Iraq may have been in place for
10 years but they have failed to achieve the desired effect.
Saddam supports sanctions
The Guardian,
April 16 2001
Hands up if you know the answer to this: does
Saddam Hussein want sanctions against Iraq to be lifted? ...
Saddam's happy Arab family
The Guardian,
January 19 2001
The commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the
Gulf war in Baghdad this week was a subdued affair.
Saddam: serpent in the Garden of Eden
The Guardian,
January 12 2001
Ten years ago next Wednesday the largest military
alliance the world has seen unleashed its weaponry in Operation Desert Storm or,
as Saddam Hussein called it, the Mother of Battles. The issue, in the eyes of
Margaret Thatcher (prime minister when Iraq invaded Kuwait) was a simple matter
of good versus evil: Saddam had invaded a sovereign state and turned it into a
province of Iraq. He must not be allowed to get away with it.
The great survivor
The Guardian,
January 03 2001
Holding a rifle in one hand and a cigar in the
other, Saddam Hussein fired into the air, a signal to the world that he is back
- with a bang.
Saddam who?
September 22 2000
A reader took me to task this week for being on first-name terms with Saddam
Hussein. Why did I constantly refer to the Iraqi dictator in a recent article as
"Saddam", the reader's email asked. "Do you address the British
prime minister in a serious article as 'Tony'?"
Damage claims spiral into the realm of the futile
August 01 2000
For nine years now 200 people in Switzerland have
been totting up what promises to be the world's biggest bill: the compensation
Iraq must pay for invading Kuwait. The final tally will not be known for three
more years, but it is likely to be hundreds of billions of dollars.
The true cost of Gulf war compensation
June 16 2000
Wars never come cheap. Ten years after Saddam
Hussein invaded Kuwait, the bills are still coming in - and they're enormous.
Apart from the cost of all the bullets, bombs and missiles used, and the deaths
and injuries, there are thousands - perhaps millions - of people who played no
part in the war but suffered financially: the poor families in Egypt who
depended on remittances from relatives working in Iraq are just one example.
Gulf war reparations may take Iraq more than a century to pay
June 16 2000
Iraq faces a series of gigantic claims for Gulf
war damage - so large that there is almost no way to recover the money, short of
extending sanctions for well over 100 years.
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