Wheels of Justice

Drug cultivation, specifically the growing of opium poppies, is on the rise in many parts Iraq, apparently conducted under the direction and support of militias and other armed groups. Two recent articles shed light on the industry - new to Iraq - and in the process give us an alternative look at the conditions created and even supported by the new US  strategy in Iraq.

The recent article in the Daily Telegraph describes an emerging alliance between Iraqi Sunni, Shiite, and secular opposition parties that underscores the political roots of much of the conflict in Iraq, highlighting the limitations of the reductionist interpretation of the Iraqi-Iraqi conflicts that tends to focus only on sectarian differences.

Estimates by UNHCR and non-governmental organizations place the number of Iraqis in Egypt at between 70,000 and 150,000. While resettlement by UNHCR is hoped for but not necessarily forthcoming, some Iraqis in Egypt say they are returning home due to dried up funds, as opposed to security improvements.

Reports from Iraq are often numbingly wide-focus, with sparse attention given to the specific interactions and dynamics taking place in areas which share little in common in terms of daily realities. We are left with an image of "Iraq" shaped by headlines rather than in-depth analysis or perspective. Here, a couple of links to articles that offer snapshots into how non-military people working with the US on the ground see the situation.

An Iraqi woman whose name has been withheld for security reasons writes from Baghdad about her neighborhood's recent experiences of sectarian violence, her hopes, and her concerns for the future.

Old friendships between Sunni and Shia friends are revived on neutral ground - a central park in the Iraqi capital. Mohammed Omar Ali sits on a bench under a tree in al-Zawra Park, looking around impatiently for any sign of his friend. Ali, 31, has not seen Ayad Murtadha for almost a year since he and his family, who are Shia Muslims, were forced to leave the Baghdad neighborhood where the two friends grew up together.

Iraqis are returning to Baghdad from abroad, but the flow is still only a trickle. And the differences in numbers being reported by aid groups and the US and Iraqi governments underscore the political value these numbers hold for proponents of the "Surge". But what even this debate misses is the difference between reducing the number of violent deaths for now, and laying the foundations for a future of peace for Iraq.

Reporters Without Borders has welcomed the release of Faisal Abbas Ghazala, a correspondent for the satellite TV station Kolsat, on 21 December 2007 after more than a month in detention in Mosul, but called on the Kurdistan regional government to show greater care and moderation in its measures affecting the news media.

Much is being made in media and politics of the temporary reduction in violence in parts of Iraq.  Pundits have even suggested that Iraq is now less of a political issue than it was even a few months ago, because of recent American military "successes" there.

Tonight, as the Iowa caucuses are held, Iraq is (surprise) still an issue in the election. But what do they mean when they say, "Iraq"?

Here are two key issues affecting Iraq that the candidates, and the American public, aren't talking about enough.

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 demand a timetable for withdrawal of the occupation forces (MNF) from our beloved Iraq," 144 members of the 275-member parliament, a clear majority, wrote in a declaration April 2007. Despite this the Bush administration, and the Iraqi government led by U.S.-installed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, pushed a resolution through the UN Security Council to extend by another year the legal cover for foreign troops to operate in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has ordered financial support for all Kurdish families driven from their homes in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in the wake of Turkish bombardments on rebel hideouts. The statement did not say how many families have been displaced, but said the aid would be distributed in coordination with the local Kurdish authorities.

A piece from the New York Times about the terrible work of Iraq's street sweepers, and their grim incentives.

Nearly 4,000 people have fled their homes in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan over past weeks in the wake of Turkish bombardments of rebel hideouts, a local official said.

Direct Aid Initiative's Amman Coordinator, Najlaa Al-Nashi, writes from Jordan about a new effort DAI is supporting to help Iraqis in a remote area access basic medical care by training them and connecting them to the resources they need.

Read about what DAI is doing to help people help each other, filling the many gaps that exist in the medical care being provided to displaced Iraqis.

A quick look at the virtual space Iraqi media occupies on the Internet will reveal a remarkably accurate representation of the country's various news outlets. The many television channels which started broadcasting after the fall of the Baathist regime and the tens of newspapers which have sprung up over the last number of years have quickly claimed their own space on the World Wide Web, as have many other "new media" websites - various forums, blogs and online news providers. What makes this speedy development in Iraqi online presence extraordinary is the fact that Internet usage and penetration in Iraq is actually quite low.

Over at the online video project Alive in Baghdad, they are raising funds for a fallen member of their journalistic team who was killed on December 14th.

Many Iraqis are angry that the government seems to be picking favorites for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims are obliged to carry out the pilgrimage, as long as they are able-bodied and can afford to, at least once in their lifetime. Iraqis who want to go on the pilgrimage say officials have issued approvals only for relatives and party members. The Iraqi government led by U.S.-appointed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is Shia dominated, and many Iraqis say selection for the pilgrimage is sectarian.

Hussein, a four-year-old Iraqi boy, has a long history of hospitalizations and surgeries - first in Iraq and more recently in Jordan - aimed at treating his illness and its symptoms. Hussein and his family have lived in Jordan since late-2005. After performing numerous medical interventions, Jordanian doctors are now saying there is nothing more they can do for Hussein, who continues to suffer from Hirschsprung's Disease and its debilitating, potentially lethal effects.

DAI is committed to supporting and advocating for Hussein. It may be that doctors in the U.S. can help him. Read below for how you can help.

"From the moment I left Baghdad, I yearned for my homeland. I was filled with hope that I would one day return to the city of my childhood and all of my memories. Last week, encouraged by my family's reports that the situation was improving, I returned."

The recent return of considerable numbers of Iraqi refugees to their homeland has been hailed by some as evidence of an improvement in the security situation inside Iraq. Many Iraqi refugees face little alternative, however, than to return to their homeland, according to a survey by the United Nations refugee agency in Syria. Most returnees did so because they were running out of money or because their visas had expired, states the report, with less than 15 per cent found to be returning because they believed the security situation had improved.