Aaron Glantz

ARBIL – Ahmed Khani sips his tea as he reclines in a high-back leather chair, a sepia-toned portrait of the father of Iraqi Kurdish nationalism, the late Mullah Mustafa Barzani behind him. In the portrait, Barzani wears military fatigues and the traditional Kurdish headscarf. Khani is wearing a suit. Ahmed Khani is the deputy local … Continue reading “Kurdish Parties Eye Independence”

IRBIL, Northern Iraq – Irbil is normally a quiet place. Capital of the Kurdish autonomous area in Northern Iraq, the city of 800,000 has largely avoided the bloodshed of 22 months of war and occupation. Kurdish fighters here fought alongside the United States in the initial invasion. Since the fall of Saddam, the area has … Continue reading “How the US Can Attack an Ally”

KIRKUK – Iraq’s two main Kurdish political parties have put aside their differences for the Jan. 30 election. Like the Shias in the South, they have organized a single, sectarian ticket that they hope all Kurds will vote for. Surprisingly, that list includes some prominent members of the Ba’ath party of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Ask … Continue reading “Some Ba’athists Make It to Kurdish Election List”

KIRKUK – It is Eid al-Athad, one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar. It marks the day when Abraham saved his son Isaac from sacrifice after a lamb was offered up instead. Earlier in the morning most families have killed a sheep for the holiday. Kurdish residents of Kirkuk later went door to … Continue reading “Kirkuk at the Crossroads”

ARBIL – My journey back to Iraq began, as most trips to the north of the country do, at the airport in Diyarbakkir, the largest Kurdish majority city in Turkey. From there it’s a four-hour taxi ride to the border, provided you don’t get stopped by the Turkish army, whose war with Kurdish separatists was … Continue reading “Welcome to Kurdistan”

CAIRO – Iraq’s neighbors have begun to worry seriously about its national election scheduled for Jan. 30. Almost every day, a regional leader speaks out in favor of the vote because the alternative could be worse. High-ranking officials from Egypt, Jordan, and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council have recently called for voter participation. "I hope … Continue reading “Iraq Election Worries Neighbors”

There has been a lot of talk about Humvees lately, ever since an American soldier asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld why soldiers were going to war in unarmored vehicles. “We’re digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that’s already been shot up, dropped, busted, picking the best out of this scrap to … Continue reading “Humvees Aren’t the Problem”

CAIRO – Iraq’s main Sunni political movement, the Iraqi Islamic Party, has announced it will boycott U.S.-sponsored elections to be held Jan. 30. The head of the party, Mohsen Abdel Hamid, told reporters in Baghdad Monday his decision was motivated by the refusal of authorities to postpone elections for six months to ensure broader participation. … Continue reading “Why Arab Leaders Love the Iraqi Election”

CAIRO – It’s lunch time in Cairo and two dozen Egyptian activists and intellectuals take break for tea and date bars. They’ve gathered in a community center near the city’s main train station to discuss new efforts to bring democracy to their country, which has been governed by an emergency law banning nearly all public … Continue reading “US Seeks to Silence Arab Democracy Activists”

In an interview with al-Arabia television, Iraq’s Washington-backed president said that demanding a referendum for the right of self-determination in the Kurdish North will be regarded as an act of national treason of the Kurds against Iraq and would forcibly be suppressed. Last week, demonstrations were held in several cities in Iraqi Kurdistan organized by … Continue reading “Is Kirkuk About to Explode?”