Conflict With Iraq, Spring 2003 -

Guides and Country Profiles

SRJC Library guide on Iraq

SRJC Library books and periodicals on Iraq, Islam, the Middle East and issues related to the Persian Gulf War.

lii.org - War and Peace; Resources Related to the Current Iraq Crisis

From librarians around the U.S., an annotated list of websites and documents on the country of Iraq, biological & chemical weapons, oil and energy issues, sanctions, weapons inspections, terrorism, peace movements and other related topics.

Iraq Conflict Research Guide

From the Mississippi State University Libraries, an annotated list of links to information on Iraq, UN & U.S. documents, various viewpoints and opinions and news.

Iraq Maps

From the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas, Austin, this very large collection includes country, city (Baghdad) and regional maps as well as thematic (ethnoreligious groups, population density, biological and chemical weapons facilities, etc.) and historical maps of Iraq. Also offers links to many other websites with Iraq maps.

Iraq: A Country Study

From the Library of Congress's Country Studies/Area Handbook Program. Covers Iraq's geography, history, society, economy, transportation, government and politics and national security.

CIA World Factbook: Iraq

Background information and statistics on Iraq's people, geography, government, economy, communications, transportation, military and issues with other nations. (Updated March 19, 2003)

CountryWatch.com: Iraq (Available to SRJC students, faculty and staff only)

Offers political, economic, investment, social and environmental overviews, as well as links to recent news stories concerning the country.

See also War & Peace

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News & Special Reports from the Media

PBS Frontline - The Long Road to War

"Drawing on 12 years of reporting on Iraq, Frontline chronicles the key moments in the history of America's ongoing confrontation with Saddam Hussein," from the arming of Iraq in 1990 to the present situation. Includes biographical information on Saddam and interviews with key U.S. figures in the 1990 Gulf War, as well as a list of other websites and readings on Saddam, UN weapons inspections, terrorism, the Bush Doctrine, the future of the Middle East and more.

PBS NOW - Focus on Iraq

A collection of interviews and features from the PBS program Now, with Bill Moyers, that focus on the prospect of war with Iraq. Includes: The Case for Coercive Inspections,   What Does the World Think of Us?,   arguments for and against intervention in Iraq,   Civil Liberties in Wartime,   Religious Thinkers Discusss the Idea of 'A Just War',   Who's Who in the Iraqi Opposition and more.

Other PBS programs on Iraq

Links to many news and anlysis stories from Frontline, the News Hour, and NOW with Bill Moyers.

NPR: War in Iraq

National Public Radio news coverage and commentaries. Special features include Preventing Breakdowns on the Field, a report on the Combat Stress Control Unit, A Battle Plan Against Gulf War Illness, Protecting Ancient History in Iraq, Anti-War Songs, U.S. Rains Radio Broadcasts, Pamphlets on Iraq (includes transcripts of some broadcasts and images of flyers), U.S. Leaflets Urge Iraqi Troops to Surrender an Iraq reading list and many more. You can listen to some of the programs online and also participate in online discussion.

BBC news  ||  BBC News - In Depth - Conflict With Iraq

Comprehensive coverage from the British Broadcasting Corporation includes background information, stories and analysis of recent events. Key maps show attack strategy, troop deployments, Iraqi bases and weapons sites, missile range, presidential sites and regional neighbors. Includes military fact files on British and American forces, firepower, biochemical weapons, and land, sea and air power. Also offers information on Iraq's neighboring countries, an Ask the Experts feature, profiles of key players, the text of key documents, a timeline of Saddam's rise to power, facts and figures related to life in Iraq, a look back at the 1991 Gulf War, and much more.

CNN news  ||  CNN Special Report on Iraq

Up-to-the-minute coverage of the conflict. Special Report includes news and "on the scene reports," information on aircraft and weapons, U.S. and coalition forces, Iraqi forces, and the effects of war around the world. Also includes maps of Iraqi oil fields, palaces, terrain, weapons of mass destruction sites and more.

Christian Science Monitor news  ||  Special: War in the Gulf

News from the staff of one of the most respected national newspapers. Special stories and features include: War Against Iraq: Questions and Answers (pro and con answers to questions about the war), Regime Change: How Will We Know When It Happens?, Presidencies Hewn by War (A look at how war shapes presidencies), As Attack on Iraq Begins, Question Remains: Is It Legal?, Iraq: Saladin to Saddam, and many others.

New York Times news  ||  New York Times Special

Includes news stories, opinion and editorial columns, special features such as photo/audio essay "Iraq Journal: A People on the Verge," and other multimedia offerings. Also offers an Iraq Reading List

Faces of Valor

Military.com presents Iraq news, images and a memorial to soldiers who fought and died. Links are provided to online magazines from specific branches of the service as well: ArmyTimes, NavyTimes, AirForceTimes and MarineTimes.

AlterNet.Org  ||   AlterNet: War on Iraq

AlterNet is a project of the Independent Media Institute. Look here for points of view that are not necessarily represented in the mainstream media.

Google News

Here's a quick way to keep up on how other parts of the world see the question of war against Iraq. Google News links to articles in English-language newspapers around the U.S. and other countries. News articles on the same topic are grouped together for quick scanning of results. Read top news stories or do a Google News search on Iraq

BBC World Monitor

English language translations of stories from newspapers around the world.

World Press Review

Samples from newspapers and news services around the world. Current features (3/27/03) include: The Arab Press and the War in Iraq, The Latin American and Canadian Press on the War in Iraq, Asian Press Response to the War in Iraw, African Press Response to the War in Iraq, and more.

Yahoo! News - War With Iraq

Features latest news stories from news services such as Associated Press and Reuters, as well as free "slideshows" on various topics. Video clips and live video feed available to paying subscribers.

Reuters News Service - Focus: Iraq

Coverage from one of the world's leading news services

The New Yorker: War in Iraq

NewYorker.com has collected much of the magazine's coverage of the conflict with Iraq and had added a selection of relevant articles from The New Yorker's archive. Includes How It Came To War (When did Bush decide that he had to fight Saddam?), Who Lied to Whom? (Why did the Administration endorse a forgery about Iraq's nuclear program?), TV Goes to War, The Unloved American (Two centuries of alienating Europe), and many more. Articles are labeled either "Fact" or "Comment."

Al-Jazeera.Net - English  ||  Arabic version

News on Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, from one of the most popular news sources in the Arab World. Also includes news on the economy, culture, science and technology." (See description of Al Jazeera Satellite Channel from Allied Media Corp.)

ArabNews

News presented by the first English languge newspaper in Saudi Arabia

UN News Centre - Iraq

See also UN Security Council and UNMOVIC - United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission

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Letters Home

The Things They Wrote

Excerpts from among the final letters home of some soldiers who died in the current Iraq conflict, published by the New York Times on November 11, 2003 in observance of the 50th anniversary of Veterans' Day and additional letters from 2004. (New York Times web site requires free registration.)

Casualty Counts

Iraq Coalition Casualty Count

This site aims "to provide information [about the military death toll in Iraq] that has been scrupulously culled from government sources and cross-checked against other existing lists." It offers statistics about fatalities and injuries for Iraqi Coalition armed forces by date, by week and by month, and lists of names and details for those killed, by name, by state or by city. Other related statistics are also offered, and links are provided to original sources.

Civilian Body Count

The goal of this site is to "establish an independent and comprehensive public database of media-reported civilian deaths in Iraq resulting directly from military actions by the USA and its allies in 2003. Results and totals are continually updated and made immediately available on this page."

U.S. Government Information

Government Views of Iraq

Offers such items as U.S. Congressional hearings and resolutions, Federal Agency reports, transcripts of press conferences and briefings, USAID Fact Sheets, legislation, news releases and Presidential communications, as well as texts of United Nations Security Council resolutions, the Geneva conventions and protocols, selected international treates and regulations and memoranda, orders and public notices from the Coalition Provisional Authority. From the libraries of the City College of New York.

Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal -- Final Report of the Independent Panel to Review DoD Detention Operations, August 2004 [Abu Ghraib prison scandal]

Final report of the government panel which investigated the alleged abuse and torture of prisoners by American soldiers and civilian contractors at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

AR 15-6 Investigation of the Abu Ghraib Detention Facility and the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade

Includes an executive summary, AR 15-6 Investigation of the Abu Ghraib Prison and 205th Military Intelligence Brigade LTG Anthony R. Jones and AR 15-6 Investigation of the Abu Ghraib Detention Facility and 205th Military Intelligence Brigade MG George R. Fay. (AR 15-6 is the army regulation which outlines the Procedure for Investigating Officers and Boards of Officers.)

Iraq: A Decade of Defiance and Deception

"This document [from the White House] provides specific examples of how Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has systematically and continually violated 16 United Nations Security Council resolutions over the past decade." See also the main White House website on Iraq for news updates and briefings.

President's Remarks at the United Nations General Assembly (September 12, 2002)

Other Related U.S. Government Websites:

Operation Iraqi Freedom
State Department
Department of Defense
Department of Defense's War on Terrorism Website
U.S. Central Command
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Army
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Navy

Ready.gov (U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security)

CRS Reports on Iraq (Library of Congress's Congressional Research Service )

Includes "Iraq: Oil-For-Food Program, International Sanctions, and Illicit Trade," "Iraq: Regime Change Efforts and the Iraqi Opposition," "Iraq: Divergent Views on Military Action," "Iraq: The Turkish Factor," "U.S. Use of Preemptive Military Force," and others.

FirstGov--America Responds

Images of Leaflets Dropped on Iraq by U.S. Forces

This page from the U.S. Central Command shows front and back of numerous leaflets dropped on Iraq to persuade its soldiers to give up and its citizens to support the U.S, efforts in the war. (Due to the large number of image files on this page, it takes a very, VERY long time to load. Be patient.)

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Pro and Con

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center - Iraq (Available to SRJC students, faculty and staff only)

A collection of articles expressing various points of view about topics related to Iraq, its relations with other countries, wars against Iraq current and past, and more. Contents include viewpoint articles written by the publishers as well as numerous magazine and newspaper articles and editorials.

Anti-War Perspectives

Byrd, Senator Robert. Today I Weep for My Country

Speech delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate, March 19, 2003, in which Senator Byrd talks about the loss of honor and respect he sees in our country currently waging war against Iraq.

Not in Our Name--Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of Not in Our Name, a group which "believe[s] that as people living in the United States it is our responsibility to resist the injustices done by our government in our names." Includes a Bay Area calendar of upcoming events and meetings as well as a weekly newsletter and "Youth and Student Resources" such as posters, fact sheets, articles, organizer check lists, etc.

Iraq Action Coalition

"An online media and activists' resource center for groups and activists who are working to end the war against the people of Iraq." Offers "Facts & Myths," action ideas, articles on the media coverage of Iraq and links to articles from Electronic Iraq, a news portal on the U.S.-Iraq crisis published by antiwar campaigners Voices in the Wilderness.

National Network to End the War Against Iraq

zNet Iraq Watch

From zNet, "a community of people committed to social change," this site offers numerous articles protesting the war, as well as articles on the history of the battle over oil, the sanctions, and analysis of the media's coverage of the war,

Statements Against a War on Iraq

Statements collected from a variety of sources by the Global Policy Forum, an organization dedicated to "monitor[ing] global policy making at the United Nations." Additional articles on the U.S. war against Iraq are also available on their website.

TomPaine.com: A Public Interest Journal

Inspired by the great patriot Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and The Rights of Man, "TomPaine.com seeks to enrich the national debate on controversial public issues by featuring the ideas, opinions, and analyses too often by the mainstream media." Featured articles include Money, Politics and War, Postwar Profiteers, numerous articles on reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, and An Opposition Reader: A Clickable Compendium on the War.

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! is a national, listener-sponsored public radio and TV show which airs on over 120 stations including Pacifica radio stations and affiliates." In addition to news reports with a non-mainstream perspective, Democracy Now! presents online recordings of speeches such as Arundhati Roy "on the U.S., Iraq and Empire," Dr. Helen Caldicott "diagnoses the state of the world," Noam Chomsky "on our new war," Greg Palast "on the Bush-Saudi-Enron-Argentina connection," and numerous other "voices of resistance."

CATO Institute articles on Iraq

The CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, offers a collection of "the body of work Cato scholars have done since September 11 regarding a potential U.S. war with Iraq." Includes articles such as Bush Doctrine Rings Hollow, Why the United States Should Not Attack Iraq, The Economics for War and so forth.

Yahoo! News - World - Anti-War Protests

Links to news stories from many sources, as well as several audio and video clips related to the protests. Also offers links to websites of numerous anti-war groups and organizations.

Poets Against the War - Poems of the Day

Poets Against the War shares a sampling of the poems, statements of conscience and letters they've received from over 12,000 poets that "explore or express the instinct that gave rise to Poets Against the War." Approximately five are added each day.

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Pro-War Perspectives

Aaronovitch, David. "Why the Left Is Wrong On Saddam," Guardian Unlimited -The Observer, February 2, 2003.

The Many Compelling Reasons for War With Iraq (August 29, 2002)

Article by Max Singer of the Hudson Institute in its publication American Outlook Today

The Heritage Foundation - Iraq War Room

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, presents a collection of articles including Three War Aims, Facts on Whom Benefits from Keeping Saddam Hussein in Power, Limit the Role of the United Nations in Post-War Iraq, and numerous others.

National Review Online

Patriot Watch; Patriot Defenders Network

Information Resources for Counter-protest Rallies & Petitions to Support Our Troops & the Commander-in-Chief

(more coming ...)

See also U.S. Government Information

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Individual Topics

The Bush Doctrine

The Bush Doctrine and War With Iraq

Article by Jeffrey Record published in the Spring 2003 issue of Parameters; U.S. Army War College Quarterly.

Ethical Considerations

Ethics FAQ: War and Morality (About.com)

Legality of the War

A U.S.-Led War on Iraq: Legal Issues (Columbia Law School Library)

Ford, Peter. As Attack on Iraq Begins, the Question Remains: Is It Legal?." Christian Science Monitor, March 21, 2003.

Anticipatory or Preemptive Self Defense

But What's the Legal Case for Pre-Emption? (Yale Law School)

Why Preemption Is Necessary

Google search on "(preemptive OR anticipatory) (self defense OR war)"  and  in Iraq

Google News search on same topic

U.S. Use of Preemptive Military Force (Library of Congress Congressional Research Service)

U.S. Image Abroad

World Opinion of the U.S.

From the PBS program "Now, with Bill Moyers," this page presents some of the results of the 2002 Pew Research Center survey of world opinion towards the U.S. (See below), and links to other websites on the topic.

The Showdown With Iraq; U.S. Has Severe Image Problem in Much of Europe, Poll Finds; (March 19, 2003)

Los Angeles Times article by Ronald Brownstein states that opinions toward Bush and his foreign policy remain negative even in nations whose governments back his stance on Iraq. (SRJC students, faculty and staff only)

Boycott of American Goods Over Iraq War Gains Ground (March 25, 2003)

Reuters Berlin article by Eric Kirschbaum details numerous personal and organized boycotts of American products in various European countries. See also Consumers Against War.

What the World Thinks in 2002; How Global Publics View Their Lives, Their Countries, The World, America (December 2002)

Report of a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. The survey interviewed more than 38,000 people in 44 nations. "Despite an initial outpouring of public sympathy for America following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, discontent with the United States has been tarnished in all types of nations: among longtime NATO allies, in developing countries, in Eastern Europe and, most dramatically, in Muslim societies." The report discusses this and other survey findings in detail.

America's Image Further Erodes, Europeans Want Weaker Ties But Post-War Iraq Will Be Better Off, Most Say (March 18, 2003)

Survey report from the Pew Research Center describes further erosion of America's public image due to anti-war sentiment and disapproval of George Bush's foreign policy.

More International Newspapers

Cost of the War

Supporting Our Troops Abroad and Increasing Safety at Home

White House announcement of Bush's proposed budget for the war.

Bush's Parallel War for Sustained Support

From the Christian Science Monitor, March 26, 2003.

Bush Estimates War to Cost at Least $70 Billion (New York Times, March 24, 2003)

The Cost of Invading Iraq

Grassroots factsheet from the National Priorities Project.

Price of Iraq Occupation Could Dwarf the War's Cost

CNN What Would War With Iraq Cost?

How Much Will War Cost?

Arnoldy, Ben. "How War Would Hit U.S. Wallets." Christian Science Monitor, csmonitor.com, January 27, 2003.

Google search: cost war iraq

Shock and Awe

Shock And Awe; Achieving Rapid Dominance

The doctrine of "shock and awe," used by the U.S. military in the war with Iraq in hopes of stunning the Iraqi power structure into confusion and submission is based, on this book, by Harlan Ullman and James P. Wade.

Analysis: U.S. Shock and Awe Tactic

Steve Schifferes of the BBC Online discusses the use of the "shock and awe" tactic by the U.S. military in several wars.

Shock and Awe: Guernica Revisited

From AlterNet.org, this article challenges the U.S.'s use of the "shock and awe" tactic.

Media Coverage

Department of Defense Media Support Plan

FAIR Study: In Iraq Crisis, Networks Are Megaphones for Official Views (March 18, 2003)

Not the Full Story; Why Won't the Networks Ask the Obvious Questions

Don't Mistake Micro for Macro with News 'Embeds.' (Available to SRJC students, faculty and staff only)

March 25, 2003 article by Dante Chinni in the Christian Science Monitor discussing the phenomenon of embedded journalists.

Kurtz, Howard. 'Webloggers' Signing On As War Correspondents (Available to SRJC students, faculty and staff only)

March 23, 2003 Washington Post article which discusses the unfiltered and unspun nature of Internet blogger reporting on the war as compared with that of the traditional media. (See weblogs of Salam Pax, claimed to be an Iraqi living near Baghdad, Lt. Smash, a military officer, Kanan Makiya, a leading Iraqi dissident based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Tom Watson, British member of Parliament for examples.)

Al-Jazeera Calls on U.S. to Ensure Free Press (Reuters, 3/26/03)

Embedded Journalists Draw Fire

Tight Lips; Embedded Journalists Learn About Restricted Access Early On

Iraq Conflict Coverage Weblog - Great Work Gallery

From the American Press Institute's CyberJournalist.net. Includes weblogs and diaries from embedded journalists in the Middle East.

The War Americans Don't See

New York Times op-ed piece by Rami G. Khouri, executive editor of The Daily Star, a Beirut newspaper.

Iraq's Weapons and Resources

U.S. Department of Energy Brief on Iraq's Oil, Natural Gas and Electricity Resources

Dirty Bomb

Website which accompanies the PBS science program Nova about the dirty bomb. Includes interviews, transcript from the program, a chronology, an interactive feature on sources of radiation and a reading list.

Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Program (CIA, Oct. 2002)

Federation of American Scientists - Iraq Special Weapons Guide

Other

American Red Cross Disaster Planning

French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website on the Iraq Conflict

Updated 24 hrs / 7 days a week. Presents "most of the information on Iraq from diverse French governmental sources." (In English)

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The Iraqi Perspective

PBS Online News Hour: The Other Side (Feb. 20, 1998)

Transcript from The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. "Saddam Hussein's refusal to allow U.N. weapons inspectors to conduct their work has the international community questioning his ultimate motivation. A panel of experts explores the crisis from the Iraqi perspective."

Where Is Raed?

Claims to be a weblog written by a young Iraqi under the name Salam Pax. Recent posts describe what is happening in Baghdad before and during the first days of the war. Selections from his log are available on the website of the Guardian newspaper.

Iraqi News Agency

News in both English and Arabic.

Iraq Daily

Newspaper published by the Iraq Ministry of Information

Permanent Mission of Iraq to the United Nations

Statements of Mohammed Aldouri, Iraq's representative to the United Nations, and other Iraqi officials. Statistics, history and comments on the UN inspections in Iraq.

Official Website of Saddam Hussein

Understanding Iraq and the Region: Iraqi Perspective

Contains the text of selected speeches of Saddam Hussein from the years 2001-2003, as well as a brief biography of Hussein.

UN Sanctions: An Iraqi Perspective (Jun. 28, 2001)

Extracts of a speech made by Iraqi Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Riyadh al-Qaisi, to the UN Security Council, as reported in the July 9, 2001 Middle East Economic Survey.

The Iraq Foundation

"A non-profit, non-governmental organization working for democracy and human rights in Iraq, and for a better international understanding of Iraq's potential as a contributor to political stability and economic progress in the Middle East. The Foundation was established in 1991 by Iraqi expatriates with the purpose of working with Iraqis and non-Iraqis in promoting its vision. The Foundation is non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-ethnic, and is not affiliated with any other organization or political party."