Iraq Report, 27 Feb/06

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 Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.

TOP TOPICS

• Sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni Iraqis has swept parts of Iraq to the brink of civil war this past week, claiming scores of lives - while sparking sectarian protests in other parts of the Arab world. This was reportedly caused by the bombing of the Shi'ite Askariya shrine in Samarra. Enraged Shi'ites responded with attacks on Sunni neighborhoods, deadly encounters at makeshift checkpoints, and attacks on Sunni mosques. A curfew imposed in Baghdad and several other provinces initially quelled the violence, but the fragile calm is punctuated by reports of attacks as leaders from all factions discuss ways to end the violence. Abu Massab al-Zarqawi has come very close to his wish of a civil war in Iraq, with blame levelled at everyone, including Americans and Israelis for the bombings. Iran has come out with proposals to finance the renovation of certain damaged shrines.

• H. Thomas Hayden thinks the Iraqi civilwar has started. His language, subjects, and phrasing suggest that he has been reading Michael Totten's dispatches from Kurdistan, "Our Jerusalem" and "Lockdown."

• Then again, Robert Kaplan has seen civil war in Bosnia, and says this isn't it. Here's the full radio interview (with some Dubai port background too), and the MP3 file.

Other Topics Today Include: Reports from the field, Iraqi solar appliences, food imports, EU supports next rebuild summit, IMF making matters worse, Finland absolves debt, Kuwaiti companies investing in Iraq, Jaafari under fire, Turkish movie censured by Germans, Spanish recover artifacts, Jordanian embassy worker released, Rumsfeld looking into news payola, Saddam could hang soon, Baghdad AQ boss dead, British forces video scrutinized, Ohioans charged with terror plot in Iraq, Michael Yon Wheelchairs for Children.

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

• Trevor, from 'the will to exist' blog, shares his take on the violence and how it is spun.

• Rick Kehoe says, "The recent changes in the behavior of nationalist insurgents in Iraq present the United States and its coalition partners with perhaps the best opportunity of the war to integrate the Sunni population into the nascent political system and thereby reduce the appeal of the insurgency to many Sunni nationalists."

RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY

• The State-run al-Mansoor State Company for Construction is currently involved in manufacturing refrigerators, air-coolers, heaters and other appliances - all powered by solar energy.

• The government has imported more than $4 billion in the past worth of food in three years, Minister of Trade Abelbaset Maulood said in an interview.

• The European Union Member States representatives in Amman unanimous to support the 3rd International Rebuild Iraq Exhibition which will be held at the International Exhibition Center ABDALI Urban regeneration project, Amman, Jordan from 8 – 11 May 2006.

• The disastrous social conditions that exist for the Iraqi people after decades of war and nearly three years of US occupation are being dramatically worsened as a result of International Monetary Fund (IMF)-dictated economic restructuring.

• The Government of Iraq today announced that it has signed a bilateral agreement with Finland reducing Finland's claims against Iraq by 80% in net present value terms.

• Kuwaiti companies are invited to participate in the second Iraq reconstruction exhibition to be held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, between April 3 and 6, General Manager of Expo Jordan, the organizing company, said Tuesday.

IRAQI POLITICS

• Critics say the record of the last government run by Ibrahim al-Jaafari is little recommendation for another term in office.

THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

• German political leaders and Jewish community representatives have demanded the boycott of a hit Turkish action movie that casts US soldiers in Iraq as villains.

• Spanish police have recovered ancient tablets and a necklace thought to have been stolen from Iraq, the Interior Ministry said.

• Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Tuesday announced the release of Jordanian embassy driver in Baghdad Mahmoud Saaidat, who was held hostage for two months. “The efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah and his daily follow-up on all state agencies to secure the release of Saaidat were successful,” Bakhit was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying.

ETCETERA

• US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a Pentagon news conference on Wednesday that the practice of paying to plant stories in Iraqi media was being reviewed.

• Saddam Hussein could be executed within months if he is found guilty of ordering the massacre of 140 people from the town of Dujail, the chief prosecutor said last week. Death sentences must be carried out within 30 days of an appeal failing.

• Coalition forces have reported the death of Abu Asma, the al-Qaeda military emir of northern Baghdad.

• British forces are facing problems in southern Iraq as the fallout continues over footage of soldiers apparently beating Iraqis.

• Three Ohioans were charged in federal courts on Tuesday with conspiring to kill American forces in Iraq as part of an Islamic holy war against the United States.

• Michael Yon tells us another way we can help in Iraq - Wheelchairs for Chidlren.

• Do you have your GI Bracelet? Many military families fall into financial hardship when the breadwinner is injured or killed. The entire purchase price of the GI Bracelet is donated to support our troops and their families! Please join us to give back to these brave people in their time of need.

• 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!

• Many American troops have taken it upon themselves to reconstruct schools and gather learning tools for the children of Iraq. Their efforts have been met with immense gratitude from the local Iraqis and their children. You can help too! Visit Operation Iraqi Children and get involved.

• Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!

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