FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Web Sites On Iraq -- Peacekeeping
Recommended By: Thomas Donnelly Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute globalsecurity.org "I find the Global Security Web site offers the best compilation of up-to-date news reports on Iraq, hard-to-find briefing materials from the Pentagon and other sources, and a comprehensive archive of articles and reports relating to Iraq. They also tend to steer clear of a lot of subjective analysis and stick to the straight facts." |
© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, Dec. 5, 2003
centcom.mil
Where can you find digitally enhanced pictures depicting what Saddam Hussein might look like today, in disguise, and on the lam? Or get an up-to-date report on the status of the 55 Most Wanted Iraqis in that nifty deck of playing cards? Well, on U.S. Central Command's main Web page, of course. Though the spin is what you would expect, there's lots of useful information on this site, including archives of CentCom briefings. There's even a section listing local times in CentCom's vast area of operations, from Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa to the command's headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
state.gov/p/nea
The Iraq section of the State Department's official Web site is helpful for defining the universe of U.S. programs that affect Iraq's reconstruction and for tracking policy pronouncements on Iraq from senior administration officials. It includes listings of U.S. government reconstruction contracts in Iraq, a summary of the Madrid Donors' conference that breaks down each nation's and organization's contribution, and recent remarks by Secretary of State Colin Powell and President Bush concerning Iraq.
brook.edu/iraqindex
As a way to get beyond the rhetoric on Iraq, the Brookings Institution offers its "Iraq Index: Measuring Reconstruction and Security." The index focuses heavily on quantifiable data -- U.S. troops wounded, Baathist leaders neutralized, the number of attacks on U.S. troops, the level of fuel supplies and production of electricity and oil, Iraqi crime statistics, water supply numbers, the establishment of local government councils, and more.
iraqdaily.com
This site, run by the World News Network, offers one of the best-organized and most-thorough compendiums of Iraq articles from various news sources, each with colorful photographs. The postings are timely and largely free of subjective slant, and the links section is comprehensive.
news.bbc.co.uk
The "After Saddam" section on the BBC News Web page on Iraq offers the same in-depth reporting that World News is renowned for. Recent articles included a Who's Who of potential key figures in post-Saddam Iraq, a feature on renewed hope for the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq, and an investigation of the plight of Iraqi children.
electroniciraq.net
The voice of anti-war activists resonates throughout this site, which views Iraq's reconstruction with a scrutinizing eye, holding the Coalition Provisional Authority to the highest standards in terms of respect for human rights. The site examines everything from school attendance by Iraqi children to how U.S. Army tactics resemble those of the Israeli army.
iraqwatch.org
For those still concerned with what happened to Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, this site, sponsored by the respected Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, tracks ongoing efforts to find those weapons. The site's editors maintain that Iraq's arms potential and expertise could spread to other countries in the region.
cnn.com/specials/2003/iraq
CNN's "War in Iraq" main page is a substantial compilation of reports on the reconstruction effort and the continuing guerrilla war in Iraq. "War Tracker" is an archived, daily look at the conflict. Look for sections devoted to the latest headlines and videos; analyses of U.S., coalition, and Iraqi forces; and maps of the country.
pbs.org/newshour
The Public Broadcasting Service's Online NewsHour site has a "New Iraq" section, at pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/iraq, that traces the show's coverage of the Iraq crisis and offers archives broken down into handy subject areas such as "Reconstruction," "Remaking the Government," and "Remnants of Saddam's Regime."
cfr.org
The Council on Foreign Relations' Iraq Resource Center is one of the richest troves of information on Iraq. Under headings such as "The Bush Administration Case" and "Costs of War," the CFR compiles think-tank reports, debates, congressional testimony, news reports, and official speeches and addresses. A good one-stop-shopping site for serious researchers.
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