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Analysis: Passing of Iraq election law brings relief

Jane ArrafNovember 12, 2009 18:17Updated May 30, 2010 13:13
BAGHDAD, Iraq — American officials breathed a huge sigh of relief this week as Iraqi lawmakers finally herded themselves into parliament and voted through an election law for parliamentary elections in January. The voting, taken up to the constitutional deadline that would allow for elections to be held at the end of January, was a relief for Iraqi officials as well. But more so for the senior U.S. diplomats who had spent weeks trying to reconcile Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen intent on holding onto power while they still could.

Iraq's election issues

Jane ArrafOctober 20, 2009 09:28Updated May 30, 2010 13:11

Discord as elections loom in Iraq

Jane ArrafOctober 20, 2009 09:40Updated May 30, 2010 13:11
BAGHDAD, Iraq — As Iraqi parliamentarians struggled over the past week with exactly how democratic they really want to be, it was telling that the brightest spot of democracy and certainly the savviest public relations campaign was playing out across town in Sadr City.

Opinion: Isolating insurgents is nothing new

October 6, 2009 06:42Updated May 30, 2010 13:09
BOSTON — When it comes to counterinsurgency efforts, Americans seem to have a very short institutional memory. General David Petraues was credited with new and radical thinking when he came out with an updated "Counterinsurgency Field Manual." The new doctrine held that, instead of playing whack-a-mole in Iraq — i.e., trying to kill as many insurgents as we could — it would be better to try and protect the population. But much of it could have been found in the Marine Corps’ “Small War Manual,” written in 1940.

Graft the next great hurdle to a 'new' Iraq

Tom A. PeterOctober 5, 2009 09:15Updated May 30, 2010 13:07
BAQUBA, Iraq — As violence in Iraq continues to decline overall, the top concern for many Iraqis has shifted from security to corruption, as they look to their government to restore long-absent central services, such as regular electricity and clean water. The bad news for the Iraqis and their government officials is that in the eyes of many, corruption in present-day Iraq is worse than it was under Saddam Hussein.

US plays peace broker in Iraq

Tom A. PeterSeptember 11, 2009 06:51Updated May 30, 2010 13:06
BAQUBA, Iraq — As an end to the U.S. presence in Iraq draws near, American forces are increasingly focused on their role as an "honest broker" for the Arabs and Kurds. While much of the nation’s sectarian violence has dissipated, tensions remain high between these two ethnic groups, whose collective history goes back centuries.

Opinion: Slouching toward Baghdad

September 6, 2009 09:23Updated May 30, 2010 13:06
PALO ALTO, California — The world has waited, watched and wondered what would happen to Iraq after the American forces left. Now we know. More than six years after they were thrown from power, the Sunnis are still trying to retake control. And the Shiites who now lead the state are edging it ever more in the direction of a dictatorship — not as malevolent as the one it replaced, but more and more authoritarian every day.

Behind Baghdad's '9/11'

Jane ArrafAugust 25, 2009 11:45Updated May 30, 2010 13:06
BAGHDAD — The governor of Baghdad swiveled in his chair pointing out on the surveillance video the suicide truck bomb as it barreled towards the Foreign Ministry. “It’s 10:54 in the morning — you can see it moving past the cameras,” says Salah Abdel-Razzaq, whose first 100 days in office included plans to remove some of the security barriers and blast walls in the capital.

Iraq: In the bunker

Jane ArrafAugust 19, 2009 20:02Updated May 30, 2010 13:05
BAGHDAD – In the concrete bunker I was huddled in after a mortar attack Wednesday morning, the sound of a ton of explosives detonating outside of Iraq’s Foreign Ministry shook the ground. As Iraqi forces responsible for the country’s security pulled out bodies of the dead and evacuated the wounded, Iraqi confidence in their ability to protect their own population was shaken even more.

A summer of protest. Is anyone listening?

August 15, 2009 08:51Updated May 30, 2010 13:05
BRUSSELS — When Mehdi Nobari, an Iranian-born businessman in Belgium, learned that Iraqi forces stormed an enclave of Iranian exiles known as Camp Ashraf in late July, killing nine of the 3,500 inhabitants and wounding or arresting hundreds more, he decided it was time to give up his comfortable summer. "I have a good life here," said Nobari, 42, who came to Belgium 20 years ago. "When I saw what was happening to my brothers and sisters, I thought it’s my responsibility to do something for these people.” 
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