A Must-Read Article

Regardless of your political persuasion, this New York Times article is relevant to all of our lives.

Iraq Transforms a Filmmaker Into a Journalist

From The New York Times' Baghdad Bureau

By Diana Oliva Cave
Published: July 30, 2008
Before I went to Iraq, I was more of a filmmaker than a journalist. In fact, the last project I worked on was a Sundance Film Festival hit about a girl with teeth in her, well, let’s just say “private area.” It was a black comedy. Needless to say, when I got to Baghdad in early [...]

Iraqi Insurgents Prove Elusive In Diyala Stronghold

From The Wall Street Journal

The Road to Anbar

From The New York Times' "Baghdad Bureau"
By Alissa J. Rubin

The bridge over the Euphrates river in Falluja, as it looks today. Four years earlier, the remains of four private contractors were hung there after being killed and mutilated by insurgents. (Photo: Ali al-Saadi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images) BAGHDAD — This spring I needed to interview former detainees in American detention centers who had recently been [...]

Asleep on the Roof

From The New York Times' "Baghdad Bureau Blog"

By Mudhafer al-Husaini

Mudhafer al-Husaini is an Iraqi employee of The New York Times in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD — Throughout their history, Iraqis have slept on their rooftops in the nights of summer, with the cool air of the evening, the fresh breeze of the dawn and the beautiful image of the sky. We gave up many things for the sake of democracy and freedom lately, and unfortunately this tradition is one of them, basically because of the security situation.

Shiite Militia in Baghdad Sees Its Power Ebb

From the New York Times.

By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: July 27, 2008
The Mahdi Army has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods, in an important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq.

4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/world/middleeast/26censor.html?ex=1374724800&en=d72cc33138760afc&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

From The New York Times.

"It is a complex issue, with competing claims often difficult to weigh in an age of instant communication around the globe via the Internet, in which such images can add to the immediate grief of families and the anger of comrades still in the field.

While the Bush administration faced criticism for overt political manipulation in not permitting photos of flag-draped coffins, the issue is more emotional on the battlefield: local military commanders worry about security in publishing images of the American dead as well as an affront to the dignity of fallen comrades. Most newspapers refuse to publish such pictures as a matter of policy."