Strategic alliances in Iraq remain elusive
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The George W. Bush administration has ballyhooed recent legislation passed by the Iraqi parliament as a sign that its troop escalation strategy...U.S. detention of Iraqis grows without end
The United States is, once again, expanding the size of its largest detention center in Iraq. According to an October 31 report by the military paper Stars and Stripes,...U.S. troops to stay in Iraq beyond 2008
WASHINGTON — U.S. forces will remain in Iraq beyond the end of 2008, but a continued U.S. troop presence will not tie the hands of a future U.S. president, Secretary of......
Assad meets top U.N. official on Iraqi refugees
DAMASCUS — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres this week to discuss the plight of Iraqi refugees in Syria, official...U.S.-backed groups challenge government
BAQUBA (IPS) — U.S. backed Sunni militants have challenged the U.S.-backed Iraqi government in Baghdad, and demanded political power after two women were killed by......
The tragic future of Iraq
Any analysis of the current state of the ongoing U.S. occupation of Iraq that relied solely on the U.S. government, the major candidates for president or the major media...Iraq: Police and army getting sidelined
BAQUBA (IPS) — New military operations in Diyala province north of Baghdad have exacerbated a growing conflict between U.S.-backed Sunni fighters on the one hand and......
Awakened to a new danger in Iraq
Credited with reducing violence, forces have actually sown new conflict BAGHDAD (IPS) — The newly formed "Awakening" forces set up by the U.S. military are bringing...Nationalists stirring in Iraq
Country may have a chance if U.S. gets out of way On January 13, an emerging Sunni-Shi'a nationalist bloc in Iraq signed a groundbreaking agreement aimed......
New Year begins unhappily in Iraq
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The end of 2007 produced a telltale indication of what the New Year seems likely to bring to Iraq."We the Iraqi members of parliament signing below...Depending on paper police for security
'Power in Iraq will soon be turned to tribal leaders' BAGHDAD (IPS) — In a country with no security and no jobs, just about anyone can work as a policeman. "To......
Detentions escalate in Diwaniyah
DIWANIYAH (IPS) — Detentions have become commonplace in Iraq, but now more than ever before people are being detained after being accused of membership in "militias...Iraq spending bill stalls in Senate
Former Iraqi commander says bring the troops home The Senate remains deeply divided over whether to give President Bush all the money he wants — without limitations —......
Will ‘armloads’ of U.S. cash buy tribal loyalty?
The U.S. policy of paying Sunni Arab sheikhs for their allegiance could be risky. TIKRIT — Inside a stately guesthouse on the grounds of Saddam Hussein's palace in...The Sunni in Iraq’s Shi’a leadership
Baghdad — Tariq al-Hashemi says he cringes when he's described as Iraq's Sunni vice president. Mr. Hashemi, one of two vice presidents — the other, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, is......
A spiritual first in Baghdad
BAGHDAD — There is neither a cross nor a sign on the heavy metal gate to indicate that this is the official residence of one of the country's most prominent Christians,...Evaluating the Iraq war
This week marks the fifth anniversary of Congress's vote to authorize the Bush Administration to overthrow the government of Iraq by military force. The Nation opposed......
The wider dilemma of Iraq
The intense political focus on Iraq in the United States continues to revolve around the theme of how soon the U.S. might be able to substantially withdraw its troops....U.S. Senate votes to partition Iraq. Softly.
On 26 September 2007 the United States Senate voted 75–23 in favor of an amendment to the defense spending bill for 2008 that authorizes the U.S. government to......
Bush’s fake sheik whacked
Did you see George all choked up? In his surreal TV talk two weeks ago, he got all emotional over the killing by Al Qaeda of Sheik Abu Risha, the leader of the new Sunni...First cholera case confirmed in Baghdad
Baghdad — The World Health Organization on Thursday confirmed the first cholera case in Baghdad, raising fears the disease is spreading. A 25-year-old woman from......
Maliki blasts Blackwater firm for other attacks
BAGHDAD — Blackwater security guards who protect top U.S. diplomats in Iraq have been involved in at least seven serious attacks, some of which resulted in the deaths of...The Shi’a power struggle: Not good news in Iraq
The decision made by Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to halt his Mahdi Army's attacks on occupation forces and Iraqi security is likely to be considered the single most......
