Date: July 23rd 2007

:: NEWS & ANALYSIS ::

LIVING IN A DEAD CITY
Life in the violence-plagued capital city of Iraq's Diyala
province has become a struggle for day-to-day survival.
Heavy U.S military operations, sectarian death squads and
al-Qaeda militants have combined to make normal life in
Baquba, 50 km northeast of Baghdad, all but impossible.
Movement from the city to another destination is extremely
dangerous. Kidnappings have become rampant in a lawless
city where government control is only a mirage.

SHIA AND SUNNI MPS FEAR AMERICAN WITHDRAWAL
An American withdrawal from Iraq would cause bloodshed and
leave the country dominated by radical militias, Iraqi
politicians from across the parliamentary spectrum have
warned. Even Sunni Arab leaders - who in the past have
advocated an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of
foreign troops - are among those now supporting the US
troop presence and a gradual pullout over time. Many Sunni
leaders say the withdrawal should be conditional on the
progress of the Iraqi security forces.

AUTHORITIES PLAN TO ISSUE SPECIAL IDS TO BAGHDAD RESIDENTS
In a bid to reduce sectarian violence, the Iraqi
authorities have decided to issue special IDs to Baghdad
residents to make it easy to identify militants, a senior
military officer said. He did not specify when the
authorities would issue these new IDs, which would bear a
person's full name and address.

GRIM TATTOO SUBCULTURE EMERGES AMID DAILY VIOLENCE
One response to sudden and violent death which has become
commonplace in Iraq's turmoil, is the emergence of a new
subculture - the etching of tattoo identities on people
who fear becoming an unclaimed body in a packed morgue. It
is more than just another grim footnote in a nation
brimming with sad stories. It points to how deeply war and
sectarian bloodshed have transformed the way Iraqis live
today and confront the constant possibility of death.

http://electroniciraq.net/news/newsanalysis/



:: OP-ED ::

THOUSANDS OF STORIES TO TELL
Having spent a fair amount of time in occupied Iraq, I now
find living in the United States nothing short of a
schizophrenic experience. Life in Iraq was traumatizing.
It was impossible to be there and not be affected by
apocalyptic levels of violence and suffering, unimaginable
in this country. But here's the weird thing: One long,
comfortable plane ride later and you're in Disneyland, or
so it feels on returning to the United States.

http://electroniciraq.net/news/opeds/



:: AID & DEVELOPMENT::

FAMILIES FLEEING VIOLENCE SET UP IMPROVISED CAMPS
Thousands of Iraqis have been setting up their own
improvised displacement camps after fleeing violence in
their home areas and being turned away from already
overcrowded formal camps. "We didn't have a choice," said
Muhammad Bilal, 43, who lives in a makeshift camp on the
outskirts of Al Hillah, the capital of Babil province in
central Iraq.

TOUGH TIMES FOR ARAB REFUGEE KIDS IN IRAQI KURDISTAN
As the violence has exploded in Iraq, the Iraqi Red
Crescent says at least 4,500 Arab families have fled to
the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, which was seen as one of
the most mono-ethnic cities in Iraqi Kurdistan. While they
are now neighbors, Arab and Kurdish children aren't
mixing.

http://electroniciraq.net/news/aiddevelopment/



:: ART, MUSIC & CULTURE ::

THE ART OF KAREEM RISAN AND THE URANIUM CIVILIZATION
Characterized by two coinciding histories since its first
cities were founded six thousand years ago, Iraq has
experienced both the pinnacles of world civilization and
large scale destruction at different times in its history.
Subjected to unyielding violence and ruin, Iraq currently
has the world's attention. Yet its rich cultural narrative
continues in the work of its artists. Conscious of their
complex history, contemporary Iraqi artists employ a
diverse visual culture that utilizes and projects its
multiple identities.

http://electroniciraq.net/news/artmusicculture/




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