Firas Al-Atraqchi

Iraqi intellectuals living both inside Iraq and as members of the expatriate community in Europe and North America are warning that Iraq is perilously close to a civil war in light of recent events and decrees issued by both the US Civilian Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC). In chronological order, 1. … Continue reading “Iraqis Warn Country Close to Civil War”

The forcible shutting down of the Al-Arabiya news channel in Baghdad is the first act of a new dictatorship shedding its teeth in the increasingly undemocratic Iraq. What is a dictatorship? A classic definition clarifies that it is "a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution … Continue reading “Media War: The Rise of a New Dictatorship in Iraq?”

On March 31st, ten women and children were killed near Najaf when a van they were in was riddled with fire from U.S. Marines who had tried to get it to stop at a military checkpoint. After Saturday’s suicide bombing that caused the death of four U.S. Marines at another checkpoint, coalition forces are now … Continue reading “Shedding No Tears for Iraqi Civilians”

Remember all those “intelligence sources” who promised that Iraqis would be cheering as the U.S. and U.K. armies rolled into Basra or Nasiriyah or any major town in southern Iraq? Apparently, in day 7 of the invasion of Iraq, these intelligence sources and their data are proving to be fallible. Unfortunately, the North American public … Continue reading “What You Aren’t Being Told About Iraq”

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dropped a bombshell at a Congressional hearing on Iraq and revealed that he had a transcript of an "upcoming" audio message from Osama bin Laden that betrays the links between bin Laden and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. However, the White House may have put its foot in … Continue reading “Misleading the Public”