Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by proud new papa Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.
TOP TOPICS
- Congratulations are due to the Shiites and Kurds, who were the big winners in Iraq's January 30 elections. The United Iraqi Alliance took 48% of the vote, with the Kurdistan Alliance taking 26% and current Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's Iraqi List placed third with 14%. Due to the rules of the new Iraqi Assembly, it will take a two-thirds majority to control the assembly, which means that the United Iraqi Alliance will need the support of at least one other party to set the terms of the debate and begin moving Iraq's new government forward.
- Spencer Ackerman looks at whether or not the Kurds' strong finish will be sufficient to keep Iraq from moving towards a Shiite theocracy. His diagnosis is not encouraging.
- John Cole notes that the rate of Coalition fatalities is down to its lowest level in almost a year. While two weeks can hardly be called a trend, this is an important metric that will merit continued watching over the coming weeks to see if the elections have had some concrete effects.
Other Topics Today Include: the casualties continue; Christian politician kidnapped; letters home from soldiers; Rumsfeld back in Iraq; an update on the Haditha Dam; a time for reconciliation; Carnival of the Liberated; UN no help in Iraq; winners and losers of the election.
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
- Four U.S. soldiers died over the weekend, one killed in a firefight and three killed when their vehicle rolled into a canal near Balad.
- Kidnappers seized the head of an Iraqi Christian party and demanded the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
- In a letter home from Kuwait, Commander Kurt Storey tells his dad of an experience he had with Marines coming out of Iraq. In another letter, Mayhem Six tells families what went on in their sector during the elections.
- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Northern Iraq recently. He visited soldiers in the hospital, attended awards ceremonies for US, Iraqi and Albanian troops, and to get briefings from commanders on the ground about post-election challenges.
RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY
- A key portion of Iraqi infrastructure, which is rarely discussed, is the Haditha dam. This dam was originally secured by Army Rangers and the town of Haditha has been the scene of some intense fighting since April 2003.
IRAQI POLITICS
- Now that the first elections have been held in Iraq, some Iraqis are calling upon the interim government to establish conferences on Iraqi national reconciliation. Zeyad at Healing Iraq shares his thoughts on why this is important.
- The latest Carnival of the Liberated is up at Dean's World.
THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
- Demonstrating remarkable candor, UN Secretary General admitted that the UN could not realistically replace the American troops currently providing security in Iraq. The Secretary General suggested the UN could provide other contributions to Iraq's security.
ETCETERA
- Arriving in Iraq again only nine days after the elections, Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor states the enthusiasm and spirit of hope in Iraq has extended to the economic sphere as well.
- Wretchard has a post-election assessment of who might be the big winners of Iraq's elections.
- It no longer comes as much surprise to learn that the U.S. transition from fighting to governing in Iraq was rocky. But news that one contractor was paid $2 million in cash and that many other contractors were paid in cash with little no oversight is still enough to catch our attention.
- The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!
- Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!
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