powerclown

host, thanks for some background on the museum looting that when on during the early stages of the war. It was a bad mistake on the part of...somebody.

Not sure about Bush himself being a barbarian, but his daughter Jenna can definitely throw down like one!!

powerclown

Yes, I can see the manipulation angle you point out roachboy, where the Kurds are using American technology and firepower to secure their own interests and spheres of influence, but I would say it works both ways. The Americans wouldn't be playing ball with the Kurds if they weren't reaping rewards as well. An entire area to the north of Baghdad (including Turkey) allied to the US is a highly desirable situation for the Yanks. I can foresee a time when this area could develop into a US (and allies)-friendly military/intelligence base of operations - an eagle's aerie so to speak - in the heart of the Middle East.

So far, I don't see US involvement with the Kurds as a prelude to civil war; this would be tantamount to a complete pullout of troops and I don't think the Americans are going to be completely out of the region now, or ever. I just don't see an American Rwanda in Baghdad at this point. I think the one factor that will prevent civil war will be the oil. Once the Iraqi oil markets are up and running, the entire international community will have a stake in maintaining the stability of the region, and there is a lot of oil in northern iraq.

As far as the implementation of this process (and as far as I understand your point) through less-than-savory methods, I can only look to the future and point out that this undertaking, if successful, will be of benefit to far, far more people long-term than it inconveniences short term.

roachboy

i dont understand what you are saying here--could you explain?

i should have been clearer--i was referring to the situation in iraq in general, linking the curious situation that emerged today in the post with other information about other regions. the pattern seems to indicate that the americans are not the structuring power, but rather are one (big, heavily armed but not dominant) faction amongst others. what is worrying from the viewpoint of civil war is the jockeying that is going on on the part of the central iraqi govt. relative to the sunni community. if that breaks down, then the americans will find themselves involved in a civil war that they do not and cannot control. it seems to me that this--admittedly dark--scenario would run in a direction opposite to a pullout--it would tip into a morass.

the point about the iraqi "security force" was seperate: it has seemed to me that if you were to look at one institution as a metaphor for the situation in general, it might well be the security forces, which seem a microcosm of the factionalised situation both within the "legitimate" sphere of politics and in the relation of this "legitimate" sphere to the insurgency.

what is curious in this--whcih i did not talk about becuase it only just occurred to me--is the american tendency to pitch the insurgency as a foreign entity, ia kind of 5th column--which seems misleading as an information strategy--but if this reflects hwo strategy is being considered, then i think the results would be not good at all. but i do not know (and am not sure how i would find you--any ideas?) the extent to which the two are linked, if they are (information strategy/military strategy).

hope this clear up a bit what i posted earlier.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

host

Turkey was much happier with the Kurdish situation when Saddam was firmly in control of northern Iraq, than they are now.

Turkey sees only two tolerable outcomes for the Kurds. One is incorporation inside an expanded Turkish border, and the other is marginaliztion of Kurdish nationalistic and political ambitions as in the policies towards the Kurds of Saddam's Iraq. For Turkey, this is not a problem confined to Iraq. There are Kurdish populations in contiguous Syria, Iran, and in Turkey itself that have ambitions of forming an independent Kurdistan with their cousins in northern Iraq. Bush and company apparently did not study history, and consequently, they appear to have us poised to repeat it.
(The earlier part of the entire article offers a description of Kurdish ambitions in the context of the current political vacuum. The point is made that now, things are probably as good as they will ever get for Kurds in a geographically intact Iraq, and they know it.)

powerclown

I'm not sure that's entirely true. Hussein's campaign of genocide against the Kurds forced at least 1 million refugees into Turkey (following the Halabja massacre and then the Gulf War) causing a humanitarian, social and economic catastrophe for Turkey. Also of relevance is the fact that, as a member of NATO, Turkey enjoys the combined protection of all NATO members, under Article 4:

"The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened"

Another counterbalance to Turkey's situation with the Kurds is that the benefits of future memembership in the EU would make Turkey more willing to accomodate the notion of some kind of independent Kurdistan in Iraq.

powerclown

*Further signs of reform in heart of the Middle East. It is a particularly unfortunate side effect of the Muslim faith that burqa-clad women of the region must endure, for the moment, the scorching hot temperatures of the tropical desert climates in what appears to be the clothing equivalent of snowsuits. It seems to me that it would have been much kinder of Fate to have based their societies much farther away from the equator. Such is life.
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Iraq: New Radio Station For Women Goes on the Air

Date: 14 Jun 2005

BAGHDAD, 14 June (IRIN) - A radio station focusing on women's issues has hit the airwaves in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Topics under discussion include the importance of women's rights and the new constitution, the forthcoming general election, childhood needs and family problems.

"The radio station is a voice for Iraqi women in the country, a voice to speak about her rights, her issues, her ambitions, her problems without hesitation," manager of the radio station, Majed Rahak, said.

Known as radio "al-Mahaba" meaning love in Arabic, the station is supported by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) programme.

The station was established by the Ministry of Municipality and Public Works (MMPW) working with local women's NGOs including the Iraqi Women's League (IWL), Women Rise (WR), General Student's Union (GSU) and the Flower of Iraq (FoI)

"This project aims to encourage, strengthen and support Iraqi women at all levels to know their rights, to enjoy equality and dignity and to define their future effectively by understanding international laws," a UNIFEM representative in Iraq, Besma al- Kateab, said.

Broadcasts started in April and the station has had a slow start but is now increasing programming.

"I listen to al-Mahaba radio every day. They have good programmes for women about life and rights in society," listener, Muna Ferhad said.

Transmitting for eight hours a day, the station presents a variety of material.

"We have good educational programmes, legal advice and many social discussions. We have interviewed famous Iraqi women and specialists in civil society," Rahak said.

The station employs both female and male, producers, trained journalists, technicians and musicians. It also gives young female talent a chance to shine.

"We are encouraging young women to come and display their talent here by showing off their art and handicrafts, reading poems and to advertise any training for women listening to the programmes," radio presenter, Niran Ali said.

Al-Mahaba radio now plans to increase transmission time and to extend its reach by broadcasting countrywide.

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
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martinguerre

Turkey accepting an indepentant Kurdistan? I suppose EU membership could ease that hurt, but it would a major concern to them. They view Kurds as terrorists. They're our good guys, but to the Turks, they're a major threat. Plus, theorizing an indepentant Kurdistan presupposes an Iraqi civil war.

__________________
For God so loved creation, that God sent God's only Son that whosoever believed should not perish, but have everlasting life.

-John 3:16

powerclown

Not necessarily. Maybe the use of the term 'Kurdistan' is a sticking point. I was referring to a Kurdish territory in the federalist sense - a part of Iraq, yet independent in its own internal affairs, as Detroit is within the United States, for example.

martinguerre

Ayatollah Al-Sistani has repeatedly denounced any attempt for Kurdish autonomy apart from participation in a national iraqi government. Given his sway in Shia politics, i think that suggestion is DOA. I don't know if you're making a crack about Detroit, or if you're downplaying Kurdish nationalism, or being generous about local power in American politics. But i don't think that that's what the Kurds are longing for, the Turks are afraid of, and the Shia desperate to prevent.

__________________
For God so loved creation, that God sent God's only Son that whosoever believed should not perish, but have everlasting life.

-John 3:16

powerclown

This may be true, but I think you may be forgetting that the Kurds (and any other people or region with a two-thirds majority in three governates) have been granted the power to reject a draft constitution. This has the effect of ensuring that orthodox Islamic law won't become the sole source of legal interpretation, which would keep the Kurds (and other minorities in Iraq) from becoming subjects of a Shia majority.

The reference to Detroit was straightforward. A new 'Kurdistan', established within the federalist system of the country of Iraq.

Or, on a smaller level, a Chinatown within New York City.

martinguerre

which is just a nod to the reality of how many guns kurds are hodling. it's also a potential source of major gridlock and political stalemate. if they had something holding them together...it could be a source of compromise. but as things are, i would think that such a structure will produce self-interested vetoes, and stalemate and confrontation. remember how long it took to get the cabinet in place? remember how long it's taken to get anything done?

__________________
For God so loved creation, that God sent God's only Son that whosoever believed should not perish, but have everlasting life.

-John 3:16

powerclown

Sorry, martinguerre, but I seem to be missing your point here.
Yes, the Kurds are armed with guns, they have a 40,000-strong security force. The developing Iraqi Police force are armed as well of course. And what exactly is a source of gridlock/stalemate??

powerclown

*Quite a remarkable development. The word was that the Sunnis were going to be a part of the new government despite boycotting the elections, and here is confirmation. This is precisely the spirit needed to push forward in Iraq. I wonder how the insurgency feels about this agreement - a major denunciation coming from their own people. Their cause seems more obsolete by the day.
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Sunnis Added to Iraq Constitution Panel

By Andy Mosher and Omar Fekeiki
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, June 17, 2005; Page A22

BAGHDAD, June 16 -- Iraqi political leaders reached a compromise Thursday to include more Sunni Muslim Arabs on the committee responsible for writing the country's new constitution, ending weeks of stalemate and raising hopes that the document can be crafted before the panel's deadline expires in two months.

"The problem is solved and ended. The Sunnis will participate in the process of writing the constitution," said Tariq Hashimi, the secretary general of the Iraqi Islamic Party, a leading Sunni organization.

The breakthrough in bringing minority Sunni Arabs into the constitution-writing process bridged a divide between leaders of the 55-member constitution committee. Shiite Muslims, the dominant group on the panel, had offered to add 13 Sunnis to the two already on the committee. Sunni groups had demanded that 25 be added.

Under the compromise, the new panel will include members of the existing committee, 15 additional Sunni Arabs with full voting rights and 10 more Sunnis in an advisory, non-voting role. A member of Iraq's Sabean sect, an ancient religious group, will also be added and allowed to vote.

Adnan Janabi, the head of a subcommittee that has been negotiating for weeks to involve more Sunnis in the process, called the compromise "the best we could reach. It was unanimously agreed upon by both sides."

But Saleh Mutlak, who leads a Sunni coalition known as the National Dialogue Council, said: "We bitterly agreed on the decision. The country is in a critical situation, and if we don't agree, the political process will be delayed."

Iraq's Sunni Arabs, who held the bulk of power in Iraq for centuries, boycotted January's parliamentary elections and hold relatively few seats in the 275-member National Assembly. When the Shiite coalition that holds a majority in the assembly formed a constitution committee in May, only two Sunni Arabs were included.

Since then, leaders from across Iraq have been working to ensure that more Sunni Arabs have a role in writing the constitution, which is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 15. The committee could extend the process by six months, but that would delay a referendum on it scheduled for Oct. 15 and ultimately postpone the election of a permanent government.

Party leaders said Thursday that they would assemble a list of candidates' names to be presented to the National Assembly for inclusion on the new panel. Hashimi, the secretary general, said that the list would include members of established parties and independents and that it would be compiled by Saturday.

Lebell

Well, that's certainly good news.

As John Adams said, a lawful government comes from consent of the governed.

__________________
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis

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martinguerre

Kurdish interests are being protected not by some stable system, or motivation to participated in a legitimated and equitable system. The motivation the Shia have for listening to the Kurds is that they have guns.

At some point, the people holding boomsticks may decided that they're not being listened to enough, or that the rest of the country is going to hell in a handbasket. And unlike the Shia forces, the Kurds actually stand together and have a deep leadership reserve since their structure wasn't de-ba'athistized or whatever we called dismantling their army.

What i'm saying is that lack of motivation to participate in a central government, and the ability to get away with nationalist seperatism may win out long term.

This all said...the new compromise does seemt ohave some promise to it. let's hope it sticks.

__________________
For God so loved creation, that God sent God's only Son that whosoever believed should not perish, but have everlasting life.

-John 3:16

pedro padilla

Oprah has a fan base in Iraq. Iraqi mothers fret about the amount of time their teenagers spend watching "Star Academy," an Arabic-language cross between "American Idol" and "The Real World."


yeah, we´re improving their lives big time.

powerclown

Indeed...when people are given a choice. It appears at this point that the Iraqis et al are prepared to compromise for the greater good.

powerclown

I completely agree with you here. One shouldn't forget that the Shia are also well-armed. Nobody wins if one group or another gets disproportionately greedy. The insurgency obviously is an example of a illegitimate, rogue group trying to go it alone without anyone's consent, let alone majority consent. I believe their days are numbered.

powerclown

Hehe, better they join Oprah's Book of the Month club than join Zarqawi's Suicide Bomber of the Day club, eh?

powerclown

*Financial institutions from around the world are starting to take an interest in investing towards the future of Iraq. This particular article focuses on loans from the International Finance Corporation to Iraqi banks to assist small business ventures in Iraq. No doubt there will be much more of this type of thing once the security situation further stablizes.
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IFC Invests in Iraq’s Banking Sector

June 2 2005

Press Release - International Finance Corporation

The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, will provide a $12 million loan to support the SME lending operations of National Bank of Iraq, also known as Al-Ahli Bank of Iraq. The financing represents IFC’s first investment under the Iraq Small Business Finance Facility, which seeks to assist micro, small, and medium enterprises in Iraq through local financial institutions.

Funded by IFC and donor agencies representing the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Spain, the $105 million Iraq Small Business Finance Facility provides technical assistance funding to develop Iraqi banks’ capacity for lending to smaller businesses. It also extends term loans to certain Iraqi partner banks for on-lending to small local enterprises.

Jyrki Koskelo, Director of IFC’s Global Financial Markets Department, said, “IFC expects to do more transactions through the Iraq Small Business Finance Facility to support Iraqi bank lending to smaller businesses. We intend to work with a number of local banks to develop their capacity and to strengthen their operations.”

Sami Haddad, IFC’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa, noted, “The project will achieve a high developmental impact. It will help revive economic activity in small enterprises at the grass-roots level and create new jobs and opportunities in Iraq’s private sector.”

Ghassan Jameel, General Manager of National Bank of Iraq, welcomed IFC’s involvement in the bank and added, “The new partnership with IFC is crucial for our business as it will enable us to serve our SME clients in a much better way. I hope that more foreign investors will follow IFC’s example and engage in the Iraqi banking sector.“

Mohammad Ali K. Al-Husry, Chairman and Chief Executive of Export and Finance Bank of Jordan, which has received approval to take a 49 percent shareholding in National Bank of Iraq, observed, “Export and Finance Bank of Jordan has recently raised National Bank of Iraq’s capital to $17 million making it one of the best capitalized banks in the country. Our financial and technical input will enable National Bank of Iraq to tap into the vast pool of opportunities in the country. We are very pleased to work with IFC in helping rebuild Iraq’s financial system and in providing training to young Iraqi bankers, including women.“

Established in 1995 as a commercial bank in Jordan, Export and Finance Bank has recently raised its capital to 72 million Jordanian Dinars ($102 million). It offers its domestic and foreign clients a range of commercial and merchant banking products including money transfers, letters of credit, letters of guarantee and others services for the Iraqi market.

National Bank of Iraq, a domestic commercial bank with headquarters in Baghdad, was established in 1995. It is currently finalizing a capital increase, which will make it one of the best capitalized players in the country’s banking system. The bank will focus increasingly on SME financing and retail operations across Iraq. Its operations will be strengthened through a capacity building technical assistance program funded by the Iraq Small Business Finance Facility.

roachboy

this would seem to be a good thing--getting other countries to pledge support means that the americans can maybe begin to pull back from the center of the various firestorms bush's misbegotten invasion has created. it would be a good thing indeed to split the notions of democracy away from the degenerate version of it embodied by bushco. if the administration was ever, at any point, serious in what it claimed to be its ultimate justification for this war--once every last one of the others had fallen apart--that is in liberating the iraqi people, then reducing american centrality is an important step.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

jorgelito

Nice post Roachboy, good find. There's so much work to do still. In my opinion, we made a mistake, but now we have to make good on it.

It also helps "Bushco" to reach out to the international community.

__________________
"The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but
to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

powerclown

*I agree, and not only you and me, but many, many countries around the world also understand that a stable Iraq is in the best interests of everyone, as the below story illustrates. (I watched Control Room last night btw...good movie, too many broadcasts of injured iraqi children, imo. We all know war is hell. Interesting to hear the al-Jazeera producer mention the need for all media outlets to 'propagandize' their coverage. I don't disagree.)
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Iraqi Army Col. Thear, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade briefs his troops during training on
the armored personnel carriers at the Diyala Regional Training Facility on Forward Operating Base Normandy, Iraq
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France, Other Nations Help Train Iraqi Forces
Europe quietly aids reconstruction effort


Elizabeth Bryant, Chronicle Foreign Service
Saturday, May 21, 2005

The six men seated around the white classroom table -- including the pudgy Foreign Ministry attache, the former army captain, the man with the sad, brown eyes who introduced himself vaguely as a "director general" -- were the unlikely vanguard of Iraq's bold new experiment in democracy.

"What's most important are the principles," said Jean-Pierre Massias, the head of this University of Auvergne training program for senior Iraqi officials. "The rule of law. Checks and balances. Compromise. How local governments can be a tool to prevent conflicts. How to administer a country."

After bitterly dividing over the war, Europe is uniting to help reconstruct Iraq, and these civics lessons in central France are part of that effort. Plans are in the works to coach about 750 Iraqi judges and prison guards on Western law and to hold an international conference in Brussels. European programs to train Iraqi security forces are mostly taking place outside the turmoil-torn country. The same stipulation is tied to a French offer to drill 1,500 Iraqi troops and police.

These efforts -- and more on the drawing board -- are taking place as the newly seated Iraqi government struggles to get under way amid the continuing carnage that appears to target the same kinds of people the Europeans are training.

"Europeans aren't going to ratchet up their military commitment in Iraq - - they're going in the opposite direction," said Richard Whitman, a European expert at Chatham House, a London-based policy institute, referring to the decision by several EU members to pull their troops from Baghdad. "But they will contribute to the development and administration of Iraq, especially out of the country -- that's where their comfort zone lies."

Before leaving his Paris post, former U.S. Ambassador Howard Leach chided France for not doing more to secure a shaky peace.

"They can offer to train more people. They can contribute funds for the reconstruction of Iraq," said Leach, who departed for his part-time home in San Francisco last month. "French companies can become more involved in rebuilding the economic strength of Iraq."

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier suggested that Paris is willing to offer a more generous hand to a country where France once was a powerful economic player. "We're willing to go fairly far when it comes to matters of civilian, administrative and economic cooperation," he told reporters recently.

The course held last month at Cleremont-Ferrand included lectures on federalism and decentralization, the composition of local governments and budgeting. While the Iraqis here describe themselves as fierce opponents of deposed President Saddam Hussein, they take France's stand on the U.S.-led war in stride.

"France was against the Iraq war for humanitarian reasons," said Audey Abed Awn, 33, an official in the Foreign Affairs Ministry. "Now, France is opening its doors to Iraqis."

From the first day -- when the students turned out to be lower-level bureaucrats rather than the eight governors who had been expected -- it has been an exercise in flexibility. "We're not absolutely certain who all these people are," Massias said. "We have no idea who's Sunni and who's Shiite. We don't know their professional backgrounds. ... The one thing I know is that they're interested. They're curious. They ask a lot of questions."

At a morning lecture on decentralization, for example, 51-year-old Talib Al-Mhana pressed for more information about French laws. "How are they publicized?" Al-Mhana asked in Arabic. "How do French peasants learn about legal changes?"

A former captain in Hussein's army, Al-Mhana fled Iraq in 1981. He joined the Iraqi opposition, he said, moving from Lebanon to Syria and then to the Netherlands. He returned to Iraq in 2003. He heads Iraq's "de-Baathification" committee, aimed, he said, at reintegrating Hussein-era bureaucrats into the new Iraqi government.

Like the rest of the men here, he is learning his new job from scratch --
and weathering the downsides, including two assassination attempts in Baghdad. "It's true, there are attacks against us," said Al-Mhana, whose family remains in the Netherlands. "But we hope democracy will arrive one day."

Ahmad Abd, whose business card reads "press man," was in the anti-Hussein opposition. Today he edits the Al-Zamman newspaper. "There's freedom of expression now," he said, "but it's hard to find out the real truth from the Americans."

Massias, the program head, is not a Middle East specialist, but he has trained dozens of legal and political professionals from ex-communist countries.

"The example of former Soviet states is very interesting for the Iraqis because it's about governments in transition -- from totalitarianism to democracy," he said.

"And also the territorial problems -- Kurdistan for them corresponds to a Chechnya, or a Crimea," he added, naming two restive, former Soviet republics and the northern Iraqi region seeking a degree of autonomy in the new Iraq. "What I think they want to find out is how to give the Kurds a little bit of power, without losing them. It's a country that lives in fear of seeing Kurdistan secede."

But another main message for the Iraqis here, he said, is about burying past grievances.

"I tried to tell them there can't be social revenge against people who were attached to Saddam Hussein," Massias said. "If you make these people afraid, they'll become your enemies and you'll have to pressure them to keep calm.

"And that," he added, "is not democracy."

powerclown

*Glass half empty - Glass half full? Who's to say? We're all familiar by now with Senator Ted Kennedy's take on the situation in Iraq, his favorite word for it being 'quagmire' in reference to Vietnam.

(As an aside, once upon a time I vacationed in Cozumel, Mexico to enjoy a bit of scuba diving. Upon our diveboat departure to the reef, we were informed that because a certain yacht had accidently anchored into one of Cozumel's world-class and legally protected reefs and damaging it, we would be forced to go elsewhere. Apparently, the owner of the yacht, one Senator Ted Kennedy (D) Massachusetts, was being questioned and ticketed by the local authorities and told to move his yacht from the area immediately.)

Today's Positive Development comes from a most unlikely source: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Apparently convinced now of the need for success in Iraq, Mr. Annan weighs in on the current state of affairs there:
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There's Progress in Iraq

By Kofi Annan
Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Page A21

Today I am traveling to Brussels to join representatives of more than 80 governments and institutions in sending a loud and clear message of support for the political transition in Iraq.

A year ago, in Resolution 1546, the U.N. Security Council set out the timetable that Iraq, with the assistance of the United Nations and the international community, was expected to fulfill. The Brussels conference is a chance to reassure the Iraqi people that the international community stands with them in their brave efforts to rebuild their country, and that we recognize how much progress has been made in the face of daunting challenges.

Elections were held in January, on schedule. Three months later the Transitional National Assembly endorsed the transitional government. The dominant parties have begun inclusive negotiations, in which outreach to Sunni Arabs is a major theme. A large number of Sunni groups and parties are now working to make sure that their voices are fully heard in the process of drafting a new constitution, and that they participate fully in the referendum to approve it and the elections slated for December.

Indeed, just last week an agreement was achieved to expand the committee drafting the constitution to ensure full participation by the Sunni Arab community. This agreement, which the United Nations helped to facilitate, should encourage all Iraqis to press ahead with the drafting of the constitution by the Aug. 15 deadline.

As the process moves forward, there will no doubt be frustrating delays and difficult setbacks. But let us not lose sight of the fact that all over Iraq today, Iraqis are debating nearly every aspect of their political future.

The United Nations has been strongly urged by a wide spectrum of Iraqis to help them maintain momentum, as we did with January's elections. They have sought our support in constitution-making, in preparing for the October referendum and the December elections, and in coordinating donor assistance for the political transition as well as reconstruction and development.

Our response has been prompt and resolute. We have set up a donor coordination mechanism in Baghdad, deployed a Constitutional Support Unit, and established an active and collaborative relationship with the assembly's constitutional committee. Today more than 800 U.N. personnel -- both local and international, including security staff -- are serving in Iraq in the U.N. assistance mission.

In a media-hungry age, visibility is often regarded as proof of success. But this does not necessarily hold true in Iraq. Even when, as with last week's agreement, the results of our efforts are easily seen by all, the efforts themselves must be undertaken quietly and away from the cameras.

Whether U.N. assistance proves effective will depend largely on the Iraqis. Only they can write a constitution that is inclusive and fair. The United Nations cannot and will not draft it for them. Nor do we need to, because Iraqis are more than capable of doing it themselves. They would welcome advice, but they will decide which advice is worth taking.

As important as particular constitutional provisions is the underlying accommodation between Iraq's diverse communities. My special representative, Ashraf Qazi, is encouraging and facilitating the delicate task of political outreach to all Iraqi communities to promote a truly inclusive transition. His work, too, is necessarily carried out away from the media glare, as he seeks to build the trust and confidence among the various constituencies that will be the key to the successful transition envisaged by Security Council Resolution 1546.

There are, of course, those who wish to exacerbate communal tensions and prevent the emergence of a democratic, pluralist, stable Iraq. They seek to capitalize on the serious difficulties faced by ordinary people, and to exploit popular anger and resentment to promote hatred and violence. Their work is seen on the streets of Iraq every day.

I do not believe that security measures alone can provide a sufficient response to this situation. For such measures to be successful, they must be part of a broad-based and inclusive strategy that embraces the political transition, development, human rights and institution-building, so that all of Iraq's communities see that they stand to be winners in the new Iraq. These efforts must be underpinned by steps to deal with Iraq's tortured past -- a past that still exacts revenge and will, if not addressed, blight future generations. This is difficult for any society in transition, let alone one as dangerous as some areas of Iraq are today.

In aid of the transition, the United Nations is at work, both inside and outside the country, to support donor coordination, capacity-building of Iraqi ministries and civil society organizations, and delivery of basic services. Reconstruction of schools, water-treatment and waste-treatment plants, power plants and transmission lines, food assistance to children, mine clearing and aid to hundreds of thousands of returning refugees and internally displaced persons -- all of these activities occur every day in Iraq under U.N. leadership.

The Iraqi people continue to endure a painful and difficult transition, and they still have a long and tough road ahead. The United Nations is privileged and determined to walk it with them. In doing so, we serve not only the people of Iraq, but the peoples of all nations.

The writer is secretary general of the United Nations.

powerclown

*As an insurgent in good standing, you know you've arrived at rock bottom when you've been ordered to kill musicians. Now, killing civilians is bad enough, but you've reached a unique level of loserdom when you want to kill someone whose dedication in life is, by and large, to create music for the entertainment of others. On the other hand, if one chooses to think creatively - as any self-respecting insurgent might - one could imagine the formidable amount of damage a tuba or french horn could inflict in the hands of the good guys. Think battle-mace, or cudgel.

Anyway, progress continues in Iraq, and the musicians play on.
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Baghdad Symphony Strikes a Hopeful Note
73 musicians play on despite death threats

Jim Maceda
Correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 8:41 p.m. ET June 10, 200

BAGHDAD — It was a gala classical concert with favorites by Beethoven and Schubert. But in Baghdad Friday night that meant blanket security — dozens of undercover police blended into the invitation-only crowd of 300.

Just performing is a victory for the 73 members of the Baghdad Symphony Orchestra and it's why Iraqi soloist Karim Wasfi chose the Dvorzak Cello Concerto.

“It has this will of survival,” says Wasfi. “It has this winning feeling in it. The music makes you feel a winner, somehow.”

The orchestra knows all about survival. The first in the Arab world, it struggled through two wars and economic sanctions under Saddam Hussein. The best talent fled Iraq. Musicians who stayed earned $1 a month and instruments fell into disrepair.

Still, the group, somehow, played on. And after Saddam's fall, life — and salaries — improved. There were also gifts of new instruments and a trip to America — all funded by the former U.S. authority in Iraq — highlighted by a concert in Washington, D.C., attended by President Bush.

Karim Wasfi, who studied cello at the Indiana University School of Music, gave up a lucrative music career in America. Instead, he's come home to give back.

“The challenge is huge and the rebuilding process is huge,” says Wasfi.

This mix of Sunnis, Shi'ites and Christians are working hard — and together. The musicians see themselves as more than simply makers of music. This orchestra is their cause. It is living proof that Iraq can offer not just bombs and death, but beauty as well.

Karim Wasfi knows he can't stop the violence, but his music can at least give life to something better.

“The message is that we are stronger than the situation,” he says.

And it's spreading with every courageous curtain call.

jorgelito

Thanks for the post Powerclown. I enjoyed the article very much. In fact, I think this may be my favorite so far with the Iraqi Soccer Team in the Olympics a close, close second. It's nice to have a positive story (human interest) come out of Iraq without political strings attached.

Again, I am against the war, but I can still appreciate a positive development. Oh, where are your comments?

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stevo

More positive developments. This time its not about schools or sports, but about security and iraqis taking control and stopping the terrorists.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...KOC_0_IRAQ.xml

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roachboy

the more i think about the scenario in iraq, the more i think that the americans have no obvious way out except to transnationalise the reconstruction process and so to make it into a reconstruction process and not an occupation modality--i woudl not be surprised if it in the end will require that the americans back out of it almost altogether, which would include ceding control of the oil. otherwise, i do not see how reconstruction and occupation are to be separated and so how anything good the americans might say they are doing will come to fruitition.

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Ustwo

Pardon, but did you think we were keeping control of the oil fields and instilling a puppet government?

Ironicly you outlined what the plan already is.

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roachboy

i dont really have an opinion about the provisional government, in fact. i am interested in how things are playing out, but i do not work with the assumption that they are american stooges. sorry to disappoint, if that does.

i do remember bush et al saying that the war would pay for itself through use of iraqi oil...that seems to have been forgotten, along with all kinds of other problematic claims about this war. and i have seen nothing anywhere that this idea has modified. this is not to be blurred into a war for oil take on the iraq adventure itself--so please avoid taking this into a tedious area by not trying.

and if this is the plan, ustwo, you would think that there would by now be actual movement on it--so far i have seen only preliminary negociations/agreements in principle. personally, i think that it could well drag on another 3 years like it is now, more or less, simply because i doubt the capacity of this administration to eat crow on this war. i simply do not think they are big enough as human beings to do it. but i am even more sure that you would take a contrary view on this. and i do not see anything in the bushlogic as those of us notin the administration understand it (that would include you) to indicate that the americans are willing at any level to bow out of reconstruction to the degree i think they will have to in order for it not to be seen as a type of occupation. because i think that this withdrawal would be understood as total defeat for the admninistration, on their own terms, a political situation that would require them for example going to the united nations that in hand, saying they are sorry and trying to rebuild something like american credibility. bush nominated that fool john bolton to the un--tell me on that basis if there is any likelihood--any at all--that this administration will undertake what is required to back out of the mess it made so that it can be cleaned up.

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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

stevo

Thats funny. I remember bush saying iraq would be able to pay for its own reconstruction through their own oil profits.

semantics i suppose.

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"If I am such a genius why am I drunk, lost in the desert, with a bullet in my ass?" -Otto Mannkusser

Lebell

I almost started another thread, but then I thought would probably fit in here well enough.

In short, this army medic got shot by a sniper, jumped up, shot the sniper, found him, and then administered first aid.

I am very proud that this young man is an American Soldier. We could use more like him.

Of course, I am fairly bitter that you won't see this headlining the national news while the soldier that shot the wounded fighter was a headliner for days, but that is another thread.

------------------------------------
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_arti...storyid=102632

Family of soldier shot by sniper, proud and relieved

Being shot at by a sniper is a weekly occurrence for many U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq.

But the experience Army Pfc. Stephen Tschiderer, of Mendon, New York, had in Baghdad on June 2 was highly unusual.

During a routine patrol in Baghdad, Tschiderer, a medic, was shot in the chest by an enemy sniper, hiding in a van just 75 yards away. The incident was videotaped by the insurgents.

Tschiderer, was knocked to the ground from the impact, but he wasn’t killed, thanks to the protective body armor he was wearing. “I knew I was hit,” said Tschiderer, “but was uncertain of the damage or location of the hit. The only thing going through my mind was to take cover and locate the sniper’s position."

After a few seconds, Tschiderer jumped to his feet, shot back, then took cover and located the sniper.

The U.S. Army has released footage of the incident that shows Tschiderer, 21, being shot in the chest by a sniper, then getting away.

His mother, Debbie Tschidere, has had a chance to view the tape, after first getting an e-mail from her son. In the e-mail, Pfc Stephen wrote, “Treating the man who shot me didn't really sink in until afterwards. At the time, I just did my job and didn't really think about it too much."

After she saw the tape, she told a local television station that she just couldn’t believe her son got up. She says learning he went on to capture the shooter and render first aid tells the world what she already knows, that her son is a top-notch soldier, "And to me that shows incredible strength of character that we're incredibly proud of," said Debbie Tschiderer.

After being shot and calling for help, other soldiers from Tschiderer’s unit joined him and together they tracked down the wounded sniper by following the blood trail he left as he and another attacker fled the scene.

The sniper was handcuffed and given medical aid by the very man he had tried to kill, Tschiderer.

Tschiderer is with E Troop, 101st “Saber” Cavalry Division, attached to 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

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stevo

Great story. Our soldiers' body armor works and the training is the best as this story illustrates. What character and bravery. True hero.

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"If I am such a genius why am I drunk, lost in the desert, with a bullet in my ass?" -Otto Mannkusser

roachboy

this version with some graphics:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4692589.stm

a link to a pdf version of the entire report:
http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.u...qbodycount.htm



i dont think i need say anything more.
except to emphasize a point made clear in the bbc article and in the first pages of the report itself, which is that the source material is press reports and that the press is still pooled. i do not have a particular opinion on this question, beyond the obvious. am still working my way through the textof the report.

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spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

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stevo

http://www.gbn.com/ArticleDisplaySer...=2400&msp=1242

I don't think I need to say anything more. Except to emphasize a point that there will always be articles written to make the US out to be the great satan.

and might I point out that since this article was written in April '03 the average number of iraqi civillian deaths per day has dropped from 38 to 34 - and that includes the insurgency.

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"If I am such a genius why am I drunk, lost in the desert, with a bullet in my ass?" -Otto Mannkusser

roachboy

stevo:

the report i cited was released yesterday and represents one of the first attempts to provide a context (in terms of "collateral damage") of this misbeggoten colonial adventure in iraq. if you actually read the report--you will see that it is not about "painting the u.s. as the great satan" as you would prefer to believe.
better to read the report, then respond.
it's not long and there are lots of pictures.
the report is not "civilian deaths caused by americans" but rather civilian casualties in iraq since 2003 in general. it includes the insurgency. geez.

the war in iraq is not an abstract theater against which from time to time happyface stories of indivudal heroism emerge--it is a nasty brutal war situation in which lots of people who are as real and important as you or me are killed or maimed.


the material you post is a non sequitor--what you are obviously interested in doing is reverting to the only remaining defense of the iraq war the bush administration has left--that hussein was a bad man (an american-supported bad man from his ascension to power through the end of the iran war, btw--an american supported and armed bad guy whose actions were at no time seen in themselves as constituting a contradiction with "american values" or any other such empty nonsensical slogan---until the invasion of kuwait--at which point, in a very 1984 way, everything suddenly changed)

and the response is obvious--the americans have installed, supported, propped up regimes far worse than saddam hussein
think mobutu in what was zaire for example--the americans were behind the assasination of patrice lumumba and supported mobutu, one of the bloodiest dictators in a particularly bloody area--not a fucking word of protest from the americans on the basis of body count--how was someone like him not problematic?---simple--the brutality of a regime supported for other reasons by the americans is never--ever--bad enough to change american policy--but if that policy is changed for other reasons, then the body count becomes politically significant. that is how things have gone, that is how things are.
and the examples couild be multiplied--think about the period of military dictatorship in chile and argentina during the 1970s-1980s.
think saddam hussein's human rights record from the period before the invasion of kuwait, for another example.

no-one is saying, here or elsewhere, who opposes and opposed the war in iraq that hussein was a great guy--but do not even try to pretend that human rights abuse constitutes a fundamental point in the shaping of american policy. it is a tool that the americans use to justify actions the logic of which operates on other grounds. period.

__________________
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spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

stevo

I don't know how different your post was from the article you linked to, for I only read what you posted (and I saw no pictures). Your atricle was about the civillian death toll since the american invasion. My article was about the death toll under saddam. I think it is an appropriate rebuttal. But you appear to counter with evidence of american intervention/non-intervention pertaining to other brutal regimes and since there was no action taken in the past we should not have engaged saddam.

This war was presented on the notion of pre-emption because of Saddam's likelyhood of WMDs. Whatever happened to them, everyone saw the same documents, everyone, left, right, clinton to kerry to bush believed he had them. When they're not found he's a liar and the war's unjust - but those last two just aren't true.

There is plenty of justification for ousting saddam, as well as plenty of justification for doing the same with any brutal regime. But because it isn't acted upon every time doesn't mean we should never act upon it.

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"If I am such a genius why am I drunk, lost in the desert, with a bullet in my ass?" -Otto Mannkusser

roachboy

first, have a look at the report itself--the last link above--it is more up to date and more transparent as to method than what you posted. it is a small-ish pdf file. i posted the bbc press release to signal the report's release, that's all--it was not posted as a substitute for the report itself.

secondly, my argument against your post was not quite as you took it--what i was saying is that on its own human rights abuse by a given regime are not free-standing problems insofar as american policy is concerned, particularly not if you line up this administration's actions with the broader history of american foreign policy.
this is not a problem or quirk that is particular to george w bush either--frankly, i would find the argument that you make far more compelling if the americans had intervened in rwanda, say, on human rights grounds. but they didnt----the point is that this cuts across the republican/democrat divide..in the end, it is a function of the basic logic that shapes american foreign policy as a whole.

the reason i went this direction in response to you was to say that i do not doubt that saddam hussein was a brutal guy, but you cannot seriously expect me or anyone else frankly to accept that this fact prompted or justified anything about the war in iraq. the cynicism comes from the history of american foriegn policy--you cannot pretend it is without grounds.

__________________
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spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

powerclown

Good articles, guys.

stevo, I'm with you 100%. The Left like to wave around civilian casualty figures like it's some validation of failure. As if the coalition are the ones indiscriminately killing civilians and police. Yeah right. And of course, the Left never point out that it is muslim terrorists who are killing muslim civilians daily by the dozens.

Lebell, that kind of professionalism is what sets the United States military apart from all others, and why I believe that in the end, we will win this struggle. Heck of a story.

I've got some stories I've been following - I'll post them here soon.

Mantus

I think that is a very false statement and a simple attempt to demonize.


Roachboy, Stevo,

What both of you showed me though the articles you posted and they statements they hold is that these numbers cannot apply to just one particular argument.

I just hope that the people reading this won't make the mistake of assimilating the information given to support their particular point of view while rejecting the other. Things are up in the air at the moment.