Aaron Glantz

In Baghdad yesterday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters the U.S. has no "exit strategy" for the country – just a "victory strategy." That statement seems in line with the sentiment of most lawmakers on Capitol Hill. They’re posed to approve another $80 billion for American military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Included in the … Continue reading “Billions More for Military Contractors and Permanent Bases”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders is calling on the U.S. government to release a CBS cameraman it shot last week while he was covering a gunfight in Mosul. When he was shot, the Iraqi freelancer was armed with only his camera. A U.S. Army statement said the CBS cameraman … Continue reading “Cover the Insurgents, Go to Prison (or Worse)”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress is poised to give President George Bush $80 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate is expected to pass the measure Monday. In the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday afternoon, every Democrat joined the Republicans in supporting the extra money, but that doesn’t mean they were happy … Continue reading “Looks Like $80 Billion More for War, Despite Objections”

One of the first orders of business for the new Iraqi government under Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani and Shi’ite Islamist Ibrahim Jaafari will be to strike a deal with the United States military over the terms and conditions of the 150,000-troop-strong U.S. military presence. A United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing the occupation ends in … Continue reading “New Iraqi Govt to Confront Future With US Military”

"Watch out for Kurdistan," I tell everyone I know. It may take a few years, but Iraq will be cut up into two, possibly three, countries – and the Kurds will be the first to go. Already, northern Iraq is hardly one with the rest of the country. In the provisional capital of Arbil, the … Continue reading “Watch Out for Kurdistan”

Wednesday was the 17th anniversary of the Halabja massacre. On March 16, 1988, Saddam Hussein doused the small Kurdish city with deadly chemical weapons, killing 5,000 civilians. At the time, Iraq was in the midst of a long war with Iran. Europe and the United States backed Saddam, but Kurdish civilians – tired of Saddam’s … Continue reading “On Anniversary of Halabja Massacre, Kurds Poised to Regain Kirkuk”

KIRKUK – Whatever the circumstances, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena is free at last. But questions remain at what price. Her release has been clouded over by the death of the Italian intelligence agent who freed her from kidnappers. He was killed on the road to Baghdad’s airport by U.S. security forces there to protect U.S. … Continue reading “Where Abducted People Are An Expensive Product”

ARBIL – In the early days of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, when the international media was discovering mass graves throughout the country, journalists of all types were documenting the full scope of the old regime’s brutality. Having just arrived myself, I paid a visit to the Free Prisoners Committee. The U.S. military had given … Continue reading “Shia Party Rises From the Ashes”

ZAKHO, Iraq – One of the best ways to understand the political dynamics at play in northern Iraq is to hop into a taxi and travel north toward the Turkish border. Once you reach the multi-ethnic oil-rich city Kirkuk, every checkpoint is manned by peshmerga guerilla fighters loyal to one of the two Kurdish political … Continue reading “A Glimpse at the Coming Kurdistan”

ARBIL, Iraq – The main victors in the Iraq elections appear to be a slate of Shia politicians inspired by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and led by Sayyed Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. That makes Hakim a key man, whatever shape the government takes. The former head … Continue reading “Iranian Shadow Falls Over Baghdad”