#Iraq Reconstruction

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Move Over Madoff: US Billions Potentially Stolen in Iraq
June 18, 2011 2 min. read

Reports are swirling that nearly $ 7 billion of Iraq’s oil money, siphoned into the country to rebuild critical infrastructure, may have simply been lifted by some enterprising crooks

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Despite Budget Impasse, US Military Will Get Paid…to Stay in Iraq Indefinitely
April 8, 2011 4 min. read

In his farewell tour of greater Mesopotamia, the Defense Secretary remarked that the US and Iraq would have to negotiate the terms of any American presence, while admitting that he had dreamed up at least a couple scenarios that might keep American forces in Iraq, perhaps indefinitely.

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Libya's Iraqi Lesson? Or, "Why I Can't Stand Charles Krauthammer"
March 9, 2011 3 min. read

There’s currently a spirited debate shaping up on the Washington Post’s Post Partisan blog between heavy-weight commentators Charles Krauthammer and Anne Appelbaum. Their discussion sheds light on a provocative contention some conservatives are now promoting; namely, that the Bush Doctrine set precedent for the Middle East’s demand for democracy.

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"It's Not My Fault": Rumsfeld Offers Bizarre Context To Iraq's Security Gains
February 12, 2011 3 min. read

In the spirit of self-reflection on mistakes made during the Iraq War, former Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld is busily promoting his 800 page new memoir, “Known and Unknown,” while defending the Bush administration’s most critical decisions. Appearing on the public circuit for the first time since stepping down in 2006, Rumsfeld has stated that none of the top officials lied about weapons of mass destruction as a pretext for the war.

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In Iraq, a Slow and Subtle Response to Arab Unrest
January 29, 2011 2 min. read

I admire the patience and perseverance of the Iraqi people, but I must wonder how long until they join their fellow Arabs in Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia to say “Kifaya!”

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Iraq's Silver Lining on the Soccer Pitch
January 19, 2011 2 min. read

Given the sad state of affairs, I often feel that it’s my responsibility to locate some silver lining that threads through the Iraqi experience. Now, in the midst of crisis, concern and carnage, Iraq’s national soccer team is making another run at the Asia Cup.

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Radical Shi'a Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Returns to Iraq
January 5, 2011 1 min. read

In a developing story, Reuters is reporting that firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has returned to Iraq after years of self-imposed exile in Iran. The radical nationalist visited the holy city of Najaf where his father is buried. The source said Sadr had left Iraq at the end of 2006.  Sadr, whose Mehdi Army fought U.S. troops after […]

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Iraq in Verses: The Poetry of War and Hope
January 3, 2011 5 min. read

In an effort to preserve a nation’s humanity after decades of dictatorship and war and in a modest tribute to the enduring spirit of the Iraqi people, I have decided to ring in the New Year with a brief study of the unique and compelling poetry of Iraq.

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Iraq: 2010 in Review
December 31, 2010 6 min. read

By this time next year, the United States should have withdrawn all of its troops from Iraq. We can hope that this long, bloody chapter in American military history may be at an end.

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Bombing Bonanza in Iraq Leaves 200 Dead and Wounded
August 26, 2010 2 min. read

A run of coordinated attacks that spanned the length of the country killed at least 56 people today in assaults aimed at Iraqi army and police forces, one day after the U.S. announced that its combat troops had fallen below 50,000.

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Sadrists Set to Back Allawi?
August 24, 2010 2 min. read

We all know the broad strokes. The state of Iraq has been politically rudderless since March 7 elections for the Council of Representatives failed to produce a clear coalition winner. Although former PM Ayad Allawi’s  Iraqiya slate won a two-seat victory over Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition, they didn’t score with sufficient […]

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That’s a Wrap: The Last US Combat Brigade Say Ma'a as-Salaama to Iraq
August 20, 2010 3 min. read

Here’s a brief outline of news and views from some of the major news outlets regarding the end of the US combat mission…taken from major media both in the States and abroad.

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