Stories written by Dahr Jamail
Dahr Jamail is the IPS lead writer on Iraq. In that capacity he has covered Iraq directly and extensively on the ground, and at other times organised reporting out of Iraq. Several of his breaking news stories could not be covered by any other media organisations. Jamail is author of the eye-opening book ‘Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq’. Besides reporting from within Iraq for eight months, he has been covering the Middle East for five years. A regular correspondent for IPS, Jamail has also contributed to The Independent, The Guardian, the Sunday Herald, and Foreign Policy in Focus, among others. His reporting has been translated into French, Polish, German, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Turkish.

Bird washed ashore in Perdido Key, Florida. Credit: Susan Keith/IPS

Gulf of Mexico Seafood Deformities Alarm Scientists

"The fishermen have never seen anything like this," Jim Cowan told Al Jazeera. "And in my 20 years working on red snapper, looking at somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 fish, I've never seen anything like this either."

Citizen Group Tracks Down Japan’s Radiation

The aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis has been marked by an outcry in Japan over radiation leaks, contaminated food and a government unable to put the public's fears to rest.

Louisiana residents have expressed their anger at BP

U.S.: BP Handling of Claims Slammed by Gulf Residents

Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, paid by BP to administer the firm's 20-billion-dollar compensation fund, has become the focal point of anger for Gulf residents who are angry, frustrated and desperate for help following last year's massive oil disaster.

A fisherman and other Gulf Coast residents at a community meeting in New Orleans. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

Stress and Anger over BP Oil Disaster Could Linger for Decades

As the one-year anniversary of the record-breaking BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico approaches, mental health experts and social scientists warn of decades of impact on Gulf residents.

‘No Safe Levels’ of Radiation in Japan

In a nuclear crisis that is becoming increasingly serious, Japan’s Nuclear Safety Agency confirmed that radioactive iodine-131 in seawater samples taken near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex that was seriously damaged by the recent tsunami off the coast of Japan is 4,385 times the level permitted by law.

Lawsuit Filed Against BP Compensation Czar

A first-of-its-kind lawsuit alleging gross negligence and fraud has been filed in a Florida state court against Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator of the 20-billion-dollar compensation fund for victims of BP's Gulf oil spill, and the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF).

Cristina Reyes, president of the local community council, is working to improve women

EL SALVADOR: Women at the Forefront of Grassroots Organising

Women are playing a leading role in a powerful social movement addressing natural resource protection, adaptation to climate change, and corporate accountability in this coastal village in El Salvador.

Cherri Foytlin, co-founder of Gulf Change, at a rally at the state capital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, October 2010. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld

U.S.: Sick Gulf Residents Beg Officials for Help

In an emotionally charged meeting this week sponsored by the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, fishermen, Gulf residents and community leaders vented their increasingly grave concerns about the widespread health issues brought on by the three-month-long disaster.

Children playing in the surf at Orange Beach, Alabama. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

Illness Plagues Gulf Residents in BP’s Aftermath

Increasing numbers of U.S. Gulf Coast residents attribute ongoing sicknesses to BP's oil disaster and use of toxic dispersants.

Louisiana fishers, seafood distributors, oil-field workers, conservationists and concerned citizens rally in Baton Rouge on Oct. 30. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

Broad Coalition Rallies for BP Accountability

Gulf coast fishers, conservationists, seafood distributors and oil workers rallied here at Louisiana's capital over the weekend to demand that oil giant BP be held accountable for the "ongoing" use of toxic dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico.

Weathered BP oil in bays near Southwest Pass, Louisiana. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

Despite Heavy Oil, Louisiana Keeps Fisheries Open

Massive slicks of weathered oil were clearly visible near Louisiana's fragile marshlands in both the East and West Bays of the Mississippi River Delta during an overflight that included an IPS reporter on Oct. 23. The problem is that, despite this, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has left much of the area open for fishing.

IRAQ: After False Promises, the Heat Is On

Iraqis promised development with the ouster of Saddam Hussein and the arrival of the U.S. are now suffering lack of development as never before. And where it hurts every moment is through the collapse of power supply.

Dead fish wash up at Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

Fish Kills Worry Gulf Scientists, Fishers, Environmentalists

Another massive fish kill, this time in Louisiana, has alarmed scientists, fishers and environmentalists who believe they are caused by oil and dispersants.

The Mississippi Sound was recently reopened, but Mark Stewart and other commercial fishermen fear oil and dispersants, and refuse to fish. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

Mississippi Shrimpers Refuse to Trawl, Fearing Oil, Dispersants

The U.S. state of Mississippi recently reopened all of its fishing areas. The problem is that commercial shrimpers refuse to trawl because they fear the toxicity of the waters and marine life due to the BP oil disaster.

US: Gulf Health Problems Blamed on Dispersed Oil

BP says it is no longer using toxic dispersants to break up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Gulf Coast residents claim otherwise, and say they have the sicknesses to prove it.

Louisiana is building sand berms, like this one in the Chandeleur Islands, in an attempt to keep oil from reaching barrier islands. Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

Scientists Deeply Concerned About BP Disaster’s Long-Term Impact

Contrary to recent media reports of a quick recovery in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists and biologists are "deeply concerned" about impacts that will likely span "several decades".

Uncontaminated blue crab can only be found in a few of southern Louisiana's bays and canals.  Credit: Erika Blumenfeld/IPS

BP Oil Poisons the Gulf of Mexico’s Food Chain

Shellfish in the Gulf of Mexico grow with drops of petroleum inside them, coyotes eat oil-soaked birds, and sharks suffocate when the oil coats their gills.

An oiled brown pelican receives treatment at Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, Louisiana. Credit: Courtesy of International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC)

No Free Press for BP Oil Disaster

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard, working in concert with oil giant BP, instituted new restrictions across the U.S. Gulf Coast that prevent the media from coming within 20 metres of booms or response vessels on beaches or water. But the insidiousness of the restrictions runs even deeper.

IRAQ: Imam Assassination Sparks Fears of Violence

The assassination of Sheikh Ghazi Jabouri, a prominent Sunni Imam in the Al- Adhamiya district of Baghdad, has raised fears of renewed sectarian violence in the wake of the Mar. 7 elections.

Ayad Allawi supporters on a Baghdad street. Credit: Abdu Rahman

IRAQ: Election Sets Off New Political Tussle

The March elections have only deepened political divisions, and brought more violence.

IRAQ: Women Miss Saddam

Under Saddam Hussein, women in government got a year's maternity leave; that is now cut to six months. Under the Personal Status Law in force since Jul. 14, 1958, when Iraqis overthrew the British-installed monarchy, Iraqi women had most of the rights that Western women do.

Next Page »


okay library