BOOKS-US/IRAQ: Outrage in a Time of Apathy

Unlike most U.S. journalists who went to Iraq to cover a war, Dahr Jamail went to try to stop it.

IRAQ: A Tale of One City, Now Two

The separation of religious groups in the face of sectarian violence has brought some semblance of relative calm to Baghdad. But many Iraqis see this as the uncertain consequence of a divide and rule policy.

RIGHTS-US: Case Crumbles Against Officer Who Refused Iraq

First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq, won what his backers are calling a "huge victory" in court Thursday.

IRAQ: Fewer Deaths Bring No Reassurance

Despite claims by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Bush administration officials that violence in Iraq is decreasing, residents in the capital tell a different story.

EDUCATION: Schools, Academics in the Gun Sights

A "dramatic increase" in targeted violence against schools and educational institutions, mostly in conflict zones, is having a devastating effect on students, teachers, trade unionists, administrators and education officials, according to a new U.N. study released here.

POLITICS-US: New Crises Sap Bush’s War on Terror

Just as the White House claims that it has finally turned the corner in what it defines as the "central front" in the war on terror - Iraq - it has found itself desperately trying to contain new crises in the war's "periphery" stretching east to Pakistan, west to Turkey, and south to the Horn of Africa.

POLITICS-US: State Dept Drafts the Not So Willing for Iraq

As a shortage of experienced diplomats in Iraq has led the U.S. State Department to announce that it will force Foreign Service officers to serve in Baghdad against their will, the leader of the U.S. diplomatic service is charging that critics, "including people who urged the 2003 invasion", are now seeking to blame the department for their own failures.

POLITICS-US: Cheney Tried to Stifle Dissent in Iran NIE

A National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran has been held up for more than a year in an effort to force the intelligence community to remove dissenting judgments on the Iranian nuclear programme, and thus make the document more supportive of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's militarily aggressive policy toward Iran, according to accounts of the process provided by participants to two former Central Intelligence Agency officers.

TURKEY: Iran Becomes the Trade-Off for Northern Iraq

Triumphalism, which generally prevails in official communiqués and the Turkish media following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visits abroad, was dimmed Monday night at the end of the meeting between him and U.S. President George W. Bush.

PERU-IRAQ: A Year in Hell for 1,000 Dollars a Month

Former Peruvian noncommissioned army officer Norman Alfonso Solano is happy because he has once again been recruited to work as a private security guard in one of the most dangerous places in the world: Iraq.

MEDIA: Three Names the World Should Know

"I am staying in Afghanistan to prove that women are brave and strong," says Afghan journalist Farida Nekzad.

IRAQ: Millions Trapped in Their Own Country

At least five million Iraqis have fled their homes due to the violence under the U.S.-led occupation, but half of them are unable to leave the country, according to well-informed estimates.

TURKEY: Rice Moves to Stall Another Iraq Invasion

The United States made a decisive step Friday towards appeasing Turkish public opinion. Speaking at a press conference here, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declared the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) an enemy shared with Turkey. She stressed, however, the importance of the two allies jointly working out a viable solution.

IRAQ: Where Better Security Brings No Reassurance

The much touted "surge" of U.S. troops in Baquba has caused more problems than it has solved, residents say.

US-IRAN: Republican Maverick Calls for Unconditional Talks

Amid growing contention among Democratic presidential contenders about U.S. policy toward Iran, a senior Republican lawmaker has appealed to President George W. Bush to pursue "direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks" with Tehran.

POLITICS-US: For Neocons, Iran War Aim Is Still Regime Change

Vice President Dick Cheney and his neoconservative allies in the George W. Bush administration only began agitating for the use of military force against Iran once they had finally given up the illusion that regime change in Iran would happen without it.

TURKEY: Relations with Iraq Become Explosive

Clashes between Turkish army units and Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas intensified during the weekend along Turkey's borders with northern Iraq and in the country's eastern province of Tunceli. Twenty suspected Kurdish rebels were killed, according to Turkish NTV network.

IRAQ: When Blackwater Kills, No Questions Asked

The recent attacks by Blackwater USA mercenaries in Baghdad are far from the first - and many believe they will not be the last.

POLITICS-US: Protests Target War Funding

Tens of thousands of people across the United States staged demonstrations over the weekend to protest the continued U.S. occupation of Iraq and the White House's reported plans to attack Iran.

TURKEY: Incursion Into Iraq a Minefield Larger Than It Looks

Tension between Turkey, Iraq and the United States went up another degree as Turkish artillery continued Wednesday and Thursday to shell civilian targets and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) positions across its border, while army helicopters launched several raids along the border separating Turkey from northern Iraq.

POLITICS-US: White House Wields Another Stick on Iran

The heads of the U.S. State and Treasury Departments jointly announced new sanctions aimed at the further economic isolation of Iran Thursday, citing the Islamic Republic's defiance on its continued nuclear programme and its alleged involvement with terrorist organisations.