Kathleen Ridolfo

Also by Kathleen Ridolfo

• January 22, 2005

  Analysis: Iraqi Media Try To Fill Campaign Vacuum

  The Iraqi media has served as the single most important venue for election coalition lists in a campaign that is virtually absent of campaigning. The security situation is so dire in some areas of the country during the lead-up to the 30 January election that the names of candidates on most lists have not been released to the public. Some Iraqi citizens complain that they know virtually nothing of the 112 lists on the ballot, according to newspaper reports. However, the political parties and coalitions are making use of print and broadcast media to present their platforms, and media outlets in turn are promoting messages encouraging voter participation in the election.

• January 21, 2005

  Analysis: In Iraq, Local Officials, Candidates Most Vulnerable

  Iraqi and U.S. troops are braced for further violence (file photo) Local government officials and candidates appear to be far and away the most vulnerable of Iraqi public officials, leading insurgents increasingly to focus their attacks on them in an effort to destabilize the security situation at a fundamental level and intimidate the local population.

• January 20, 2005

  Analysis: Baghdad Events Promote Greater Tribal Participation In Elections

  Two events were held in Baghdad on 16 January that addressed the importance of the Iraqi tribes and encouraged tribal leaders to support the election process, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reported the same day.

• January 19, 2005

  Analysis: Iraqi Defense Minister Continues Accusations Against Iran, Syria

  Hazim al-Sha'lan (file photo) There has been no abatement of Iraqi Defense Minister Hazim al-Sha'lan's accusations of Iranian and Syrian interference in Iraqi affairs. The minister's allegations surfaced several months ago, but his rhetoric has increased in recent days, eliciting a sharp response from Iranian officials. Syrian and Iraqi officials have also expressed concern over al-Sha'lan's remarks.

• January 16, 2005

  Analysis: Kurdish Rebels Top Tripartite Agenda In Ankara

  A Kurdish PKK supporter (file photo) Iraqi, Turkish, and U.S. officials met in Ankara on 11 January to discuss Turkish demands that the U.S. and Iraqi militaries address the issue of Turkish-Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.

• January 14, 2005

  Analysis: Oil, Electricity Ministers Criticized For Iraqi Fuel Crisis

  Attacks on Iraqi oil wells are the root cause of the shortage Iraqi Oil Minister Thamir al-Ghadban has come under fire in the Iraqi media in recent weeks for the burgeoning fuel crisis that is plaguing the country.

• January 11, 2005

  Analysis: Kurds Maintain Stance On Kirkuk Elections

  The local elections slated to be held in the northern Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk on 30 January may prove to be the most contentious in the country. Kurdish leaders have widely opposed the holding of an election there on the grounds that Article 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) has not been implemented.

• January 10, 2005

  Analysis: Abbas Now Facing Toughest Challenge

  Mahmud Abbas (file photo) Newly elected Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas will face a seemingly impossible challenge in his administration, one that largely plagued him in 2003 during his short four-month term as prime minister. Abbas must consolidate the vast Palestinian security services that have been rift with rivalries for years. He must meet the ever-growing demands of his public to address corruption within the Palestinian Authority structure, and provide space for the new guard to participate in the political arena. Abbas will also face the challenge of reviving the stagnant peace process with Israel and revive an economy wrecked by the four-year intifada. And, he must do it quickly.

• January 07, 2005

  Analysis: Iraqi Election Workers Resigning Under Threat

  Iraqi and U.S. soldiers are working to protect voters on election day Members of the Iraqi Election Commission have reportedly been resigning in large numbers in recent weeks under the threat of attack by militants, according to Iraqi and other Arab media reports.

• January 04, 2005

  Analysis: Is Insurgent Violence Having Desired Effect On Iraqi Elections?

  An injured Iraqi man collects belongings from his home after a truck explosion this morning at Qasr Dar al-Salam Militants killed Baghdad Governor Ali Radi al-Haydari in an early morning attack --> http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/01/ca7b6118-502d-4737-8a26-a7412f955d1a.html outside his home in the Iraqi capital on 4 January.

• December 20, 2004

  Analysis: Campaign Season Under Way In Iraq

  Interim Prime Minister Allawi heads his own Iraqi List party. Campaign season is officially under way in Iraq as political parties vie for support ahead of Iraq's national elections in January. Independent Iraqi Electoral Commission spokesman Farid Ayar told reporters in Baghdad on 13 December that the commission had received 70 electoral lists from political parties, groupings, and independent candidates vying to compete for the 275 parliamentary seats in January's national elections. The commission had received at least six lists representing coalition slates -- lists grouping a number of parties and candidates together -- while about 65 other lists represented independent parties and individuals, he said. The deadline to register passed on 15 December. A look at some of the candidate lists follows.

• December 14, 2004

  Analysis: U.S. Eyes Suspected Insurgents In Syria

  U.S. officials said last week that they are considering increasing pressure on Syria to crack down on former Iraqi Ba'athists who they believe are orchestrating and funding the insurgency from inside Syrian territory. The pressure is part of an overall effort to put an end to the insurgency in Iraq.

• December 12, 2004

  Analysis: To Delay Or Not To Delay Iraq's Elections

  Interim government officials this week rejected calls by Sunni-led oppositionists to delay national elections in January by up to six months (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 7 December 2004). Several political parties, including the Iraqi Islamic Party, met in Baghdad on 5 December and demanded that the elections be postponed for six months. "All those who want elections to be held are Shi'ites. However, not all Shi'ites are for holding the elections on 30 January. No Arabs or Sunnis demand that the elections be held on 30 January because the security situation is not suitable in the Arab Sunni cities and communities," Al-Jazeera quoted Iraqi Homeland Party head Mish'an al-Juburi as saying.

• December 10, 2004

  Analysis: Russia Writes Off Iraq Debt For Possible Oil Stake

  (file photo) Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi arrived in Moscow on 6 December for two days of talks with Russian officials. Issues high on the agenda included the announcement that the Kremlin will write off about 90 percent of Iraq's debt. Allawi and Oil Minister Thamir al-Ghadban also discussed potential deals with Russian oil companies, Russian media reported. The debt write-off will reduce Iraq's debt from $10.5 billion to between $700 million and $1 billion over eight years.

• December 02, 2004

  Analysis: Iraqi Groups Debate Election Postponement

  Interim Premier Iyad Allawi (file photo) Some 17 Iraqi political groups and dozens of political figures gathered at the home of former Foreign Minister and veteran Sunni leader Adnan Pachachi on 26 November to discuss a proposal to postpone Iraq's national elections for up to six months.

• November 17, 2004

  Analysis: NATO States Divided Over Iraq

  NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Europe General James Jones said 10 member states were refusing to send troops to Iraq as part of the alliance's new training mission there, ft.com reported on 15 November. Jones said the move by the 10 states, which he refused to name publicly, could undermine the alliance itself and threaten the long-term viability of the operation.

• November 16, 2004

  Analysis: Iraqi Police Aiding Militants In Mosul Insurgency

  Smoke rises from a building in Mosul The growing insurgency in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul took a turn in recent days as many police in the city reportedly deserted their positions and took up arms alongside militants. Sources told RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq that multinational forces arrested General Muhammad Khayri al-Birhawi, the director-general of Mosul police, accusing him of cooperating with terrorists in the city, RFI reported on 15 November.

• November 11, 2004

  Analysis: Arafat's Legacy In The Palestinian Authority

  The death of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Yasser Arafat marks a turning point in the history of the Palestinian national movement. Arafat will certainly be remembered by his people as the father of the movement after some four decades in the forefront of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. But, his death might also signal an opening for pluralism within the Palestinian government, which has until now been dominated by members of Arafat's ruling Fatah party.

• November 05, 2004

  Analysis: Is Mosul The Next Al-Fallujah?

  Recent reports out of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul leave little doubt that militants have marked the city as their next base for fighting U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq. The city has been the scene of sporadic fighting and attacks for several months, and recent reports indicate that the security situation is deteriorating.

• November 05, 2004

  Radio Free Iraq Gets Iraqi Reaction To Bush Reelection

  Ahmad Chalabi (file photo) RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) spoke with Iraqi National Congress head Ahmad Chalabi on 4 November about the outcome of U.S. elections. "I'm happy that [U.S. President George W.] Bush won the elections. It's good for the Iraqis," he said. Asked why, Chalabi said: "First, he was the one who helped the Iraqis to get rid of Saddam [Hussein]. Destroyed Saddam's regime. Second, he saw the mistakes made by the United States recently [in Iraq] and the American policies in the last period. [The administration] noticed the mistakes of all of that."

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