From BBC reporter Kim Ghattas in Syria:

] And there are still demonstrations in the Arab world in
] support of Iraq. You hear a lot of Syrians saying they
] hope the end result will be victory for Iraq.
]
] This is making a lot of Iraqis inside Syria very angry.
] They've been telling me that most Arabs don't understand
] what life in Iraq has been like over the last 20 to 30
] years.
]
] They don't understand why other Arabs are holding up
] pictures of Saddam Hussein during demonstrations.

BBC Reporters' Log

] There has been a remarkable performance by the Iraqi
] information minister who came on to the BBC roof to deny
] the coalition forces were here.

This was surreal. On the one hand, I'm watching live coverage of U.S. troops in Baghdad, I'm watching things being blown up, and seeing pictures of an M-1 tank at the entrance to a presidential palace. On the other, there's the Iraqi Information Minister on a rooftop, trying to claim that there are no U.S. troops in Baghdad. The smoke was so bad behind him that you could barely see the buildings, and according to one of the reporters there, there were gunshots and mortar fire less than a half a mile away, but the Information Minister was still smiling and saying that there were no troops in Baghdad, that the Americans were "surrounded and slaughtered" (right at that point I heard the audio of one of the Saddam statues being blown up by coalition forces), that the Iraqi army had "besieged and killed most of the Americans", etc. etc. Then over on english.aljazeera.net, the headline pops up, "U.S. Troops Suffer Heavy Losses in Baghdad Fighting."

Honestly, I don't blame many of the Arab populations for being so angry at the U.S., considering the one-sided "news" that is forced at them.

I don't believe it's a coincidence that the main participants in the "Coalition of the Willing" are english-speaking nations. It's not enough to have internet access around the world. In order to encourage the free flow of information, the language barriers *must* be addressed, and there has to be a higher standard of journalism encouraged for *all* languages. If the Arabic-speaking populations only want "news sources" that tell them what they want to hear, it's going to be just that much harder to find common ground for peaceful solutions.

BBC NEWS | In Depth | Reporters' Log: War in Iraq

] "The Arab media today, with its clear inclination towards
] exaggerations and false promises of victory, is feeding
] the public stories that have nothing to do with the real
] events in the field. Hence, it is replicating the old
] media, despite the fact that it is broadcasting in color
] and using electronic technologies..
. . .
] "Notice the difference in press conferences on both sides.
] In the West, journalists are not satisfied with listening.
] They probe, express opposing opinions and expose lies. In
] our media, anything [the Iraqi Information Minister] Al-Sahhaf
] says is broadcast as if he was a Friday preacher in a mosque..."

Editor of the London Arabic Daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Criticizes the Arab Media's War Coverage

From Centcom Briefing, March 28, 2003:

] Q: General, Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News. Will you provide
] for us the name of the vendor and the country of origin
] of all these chemical suits you've now found in multiple
] locations, described as new and ready for distribution?
]
. . .

] GEN. BROOKS: On the chemical suits, I don't know any
] reason why we would not be able to give you that. So as
] soon as we find out what the answer is, perhaps we can
] provide that to you. And we'll have our media relations
] folks follow that up.

If this answer has been provided anywhere since this briefing on March 28th, I sure haven't seen it!

I'm going to try and get in touch directly with Kelly O'Donnell from NBC, and see if Centcom ever got back to her...

Still No Word on Chemical Suits Origin

] As the heir to one of the most important dynasties in the
] Shiite world, al-Hakim is mindful that the actions of
] Iraqi Shiites could have an impact on the entire Shiite
] community. "He realizes that if Shiites in Iraq are
] perceived as cooperating with an invasion force, it could
] have repercussions throughout the Muslim world for years
] to come," said a senior al-Hakim adviser, who asked not
] to be named.
]
] Shiites comprise about 20 percent of the 1 billion
] Muslims in the world. While the majority of Muslims
] worldwide are Sunnis, Shiites constitute a majority in
] several countries, including Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and
] Bahrain. Other Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia,
] have sizable Shiite minorities that are marginalized.

A Delicate Balancing Act Between Shiite and Sunni Muslims

Andy wrote:
] ] U.S. troops found thousands of boxes of white powder,
] ] nerve agent antidote and Arabic documents on how to
] ] engage in chemical warfare at a military factory south of
] ] Baghdad, U.S. officers said Friday. But a senior U.S.
] ] official familiar with initial testing said the powder
] ] was believed to be traditional military explosives, not
] ] an ingredient for weapons of mass destruction.
]
] At least the white powder wasn't an export from the
] Columbia drug cartel.

U.S.: Vials, chemical manuals found in Iraq

] Mohammad walked through battles in the city streets for
] two straight days to get back to the hospital. His
] main mission was to watch the guards, but each morning he
] attempted to keep Lynch's spirits strong with a "good
] morning" in English.
]
] He said she was brave throughout the ordeal.
]
] When reporting back to the Marines on March 30, he
] brought five different maps he and his wife made. He was
] able to point to the exact room the captured soldier was
] being held in. He also handed over the security layout,
] reaction plan and times that shift changes occurred.

I have mixed feelings about this article. On the one hand, if true, it depicts remarkable bravery and actions on the part of the Iraqi who played the go-between. On the other, it seems to indicate that the Marines knew exactly where Jessica was being held for several days, but that they didn't attempt a rescue until the Iraqi informant came back and handed over detailed maps and shift schedules of the hospital.

In any case, it's a moving story.

Marine Corps News: Iraqi family risks it all to save American POW

] What started as an April Fool's joke involving bad
] grammar landed seven people in jail Tuesday.
]
] Sturgis police arrested seven Sturgis men for placing
] more than 20 threatening letters on various businesses,
] schools, banks and at the post office. At least 12 signs
] were posted Monday morning. Another 20 were put up
] Tuesday evening, according to Sturgis police.
]
] The letters all read "All your base are belong to us and
] you have no chance to survive, make your time."
]
] Information about the letters was forwarded to the FBI
] and U.S. postal authorities, said Sturgis police Chief
] Eugene Alli.

Having fun (not) in Michigan . . .

'All Your Base' Signs Land Seven in Court

] KABUL, Afghanistan - Will Afghanistan become a
] constitutional monarchy, or will it have an
] American-style presidential system, a parliamentary
] democracy -- or something in between?
]
] Such questions are part of the debate surrounding
] creation of a new constitution for the war-battered
] nation.
]
] Religious conservatives and reformists influenced by
] Western ideas all want a say -- and in the middle is
] the transitional government of President Hamid Karzai,
] who hopes to satisfy all sides, including the
] international community.

I see this as an exciting debate -- a country starting over from scratch, and deciding for itself what kind of government that it wants to have. Just as our own American forefathers had passionate debates about the kind of government to set up here, it's exciting to see another country going through the same process for itself. What *is* the best kind of government to have?

Afghans Debate New Constitution, Government

Superb online map collection. This particular link focuses on detailed maps of Iraq and Baghdad, but the site contains maps of many other areas as well.

This page is also maintaining links to many other online maps of the battlefields, including the interactive Flash maps provided by various news organizations. Great one-stop-shopping for maps!

UT Library Online - Perry-Castañeda Map Collection - Iraq Maps