Story Archives of 'Iraq'

Iran has just completed a third round of missile tests. This news comes shortly after it was disclosed that the country has been secretly developing an underground uranium enrichment facility. Only a few months have passed since thousands of Iranians flooded the streets to protest what was believed to be a crooked election.

Iran continues to make news for its nuclear ambitions, bitter denouncements of Israel and America by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the country’s backing of militias in Iraq, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories. But look closer and you might see a hidden world – middle-class Muslims going about their daily lives, enjoying the fruits of modernity and hoping for stronger economic and cultural ties with the west. They are scientists, entrepreneurs, bankers, and manufacturers.

In his new book Forces of Fortune, longtime Mideast observer Vali Nasr argues that winning the war against extremist Islam means engaging an emerging Muslim middle class. He’s a professor of international relations at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a senior adviser to the Obama administration.

Read an excerpt from Forces of Fortune

(Photo by Hamed Saber via Flickr/Creative Commons)

U.S. troops withdrew from Iraqi cities at the end of June, transferring security responsibilities to Iraqi forces. Many of those troops are going on to fight in Afghanistan, others are returning home to their families.

One soldier’s father, Darrell Griffin, Sr., holds no hope for a reunion with his son. On March 21, 2007, Staff Sgt. Darrell "Skip" Griffin, Jr., was shot by a sniper in Iraq during his third tour of duty. Skip kept a journal and corresponded regularly with his father. They'd planned to co-write a book on Skip's return.

So Darrell Sr. completed their book instead. It’s called Last Journey: A Father and Son in Wartime. It’s a rare view of a rank and file soldier’s life, and an intimate portrait of what gets left behind when a soldier dies.

Last Journey reviewed by Anthony Swofford

The New York Times: Father’s Tribute, Fulfilling Son’s Wish

Excerpt from Last Journey: Chapter One

(Photo courtesy of Darrell Griffin, Sr.)

A recent uptick in violence in Iraq is threatening the streetlife and commerce that some areas have enjoyed of late. In a country that is striving to keep its people safe and the electricity turned on, social media might not seem like the highest priority.

It's not that Iraqis aren’t active online. An estimated 100 Iraqis blog about everything from politics to classical music. It’s a small portion of the population, and posts are intermittent at best. But the U.S. government is hoping to change that.

In an effort to encourage Iraq to use social media to rebuild itself, the State Department sent representatives from Twitter, Google, YouTube and WordPress to Baghdad in late April. For five days, they visited universities, met with technology companies, and sat down with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani.

Raanan Bar-Cohen was there. He’s vice president of Automattic, which leads the WordPress open-source project, a blog-publishing tool. Raanan spoke with Word of Mouth about how he observed Iraqis using social networks during his visit.

Time Magazine: Is Iraq Ready for Twitter? New Media in a War Zone

Guardian UK: How Twitter is going to save Iraq... Not.

(Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense)

Tonight on PBS, the Independent Lens series features a feel-good tale gone bad. Operation Filmmaker tells the complex story of what happens when well-meaning Hollywood insiders intervene in the life of a young Iraqi film student.

Acclaimed actor Liev Schreiber saw an MTV documentary featuring Muthana Mohmed, a charming 25-year old film student whose school had been flattened by American bombs. Schreiber was preparing to direct his first feature, and he invited Muthana to join the crew. Schreiber also invited filmmaker Nina Davenport along to document Muthana’s journey. The idea was that a young hopeful plucked from the rubble of Baghdad might blossom into something interesting. Schreiber could not have imagined how right he was. It turns out that Muthana was not prepared to be a gofer, or even grateful, and Nina Davenport was there to capture it all with her camera. Nina joins us on Word of Mouth to talk about the adventure.

Once a week until Election Day, we’ll focus on one subject sure to play a role in this year’s campaigns. This week we explore the Iraq War. Both Barack Obama and John McCain have highlighted their stances on Iraq as proof that they're qualified to lead the nation. We’ll look at what the candidates are saying and what Iraq means for the next president.

Guests

• Wayne Lesperance, associate professor of political science at New England College
• Jennifer Donohue, professor of political science and Project Citizen program coordinator for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College

We'll also hear from

• Andy Smith, professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire and executive director of the UNH Survey Center