Kathleen Ridolfo

Analysis: Journalists Remain Target Of Militants In Iraq

The killing of foreign journalists in Iraq has received much coverage in the Western media in recent months, but militants have also increasingly targeted Iraqi and Arab journalists working in the country. No less than 10 Iraqi and Arab journalists working in Iraq were killed in October in the latest string of attacks.

Analysis: Turkey Makes Plans For Iraq

Turkish newspapers this week are reporting that the Turkish government has formulated a contingency plan that would place at least 20,000 Turkish troops inside northern Iraq in an effort to prevent Kurdish leaders from changing the demographic structure of the highly contested city of Kirkuk.

Analysis: France Pushes For Iraqi 'Opposition' Conference

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier recently issued a call in Paris for a conference to be held next month that would include members of the Iraqi "opposition." He said on 25 October that he wants another conference to be held alongside or following a 22-23 November international conference on Iraq in Sharm Al-Shaykh, Egypt, to take into account what he identified as "Iraqi political forces."

Analysis: Militants Likely Tipped Off In Attack On Iraqi National Guardsmen

49 Iraqi recruits were shot execution-style in the back of the head Informants from within the Iraqi military likely provided information to militants about the route taken by a convoy transporting Iraqi national guardsmen on leave from their base on 23 October, Iraqi and U.S. officials said this week. Militants attacked the convoy, killing 49 guardsmen and three drivers. An adviser to interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told "The New York Times" that as many as 5 percent of Iraqi security forces are comprised of insurgents or sympathizers with the former regime, nytimes.com reported on 26 October.

Analysis: Iraq's Domestic Media Active In Election Discourse

News of Iraq's upcoming January elections has dominated the pages of Iraq's major dailies in recent weeks, to some extent crowding out the more detailed coverage of the growing insurgency, the presence of multinational forces, and even the workings of the interim administration.

Analysis: Reports Of Rampant Corruption In New Iraqi Institutions

Corruption is reportedly running rampant in the new Iraqi government, according to Judge Radi al-Radi, who heads the Commission on Public Integrity established by the Coalition Provisional Authority to monitor corruption. Al-Diyar television cited al-Radi on 13 October as saying that 14 administrative corruption cases have been investigated at Iraqi ministries. The cases were reportedly referred to the Iraqi courts. Al-Radi also said that hundreds of instances of administrative corruption and bribery have been uncovered. Those issues will be addressed by the commission in the coming days, he said.

Analysis: IAEA Concerned Over Dismantlement Of Former Iraqi Nuclear Sites

Muhammad el-Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), sent a letter to the current UN Security Council President Sir Emyr Jones Parry last week expressing concern about the whereabouts of equipment from dismantled sites that formerly housed the Iraqi nuclear program, as well as other sites monitored by the United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the IAEA. The letter, posted to the IAEA website ( http://www.iaea.org) on 4 October, contends that an ongoing review of satellite imagery and follow up investigations has shown the "widespread and apparently systematic dismantlement that has taken place at sites previously relevant to Iraq's nuclear program."

Analysis: Iraqi Political Groups Take Steps To Organize

Violence has sparked speculation that the January elections might be postponed (file photo) [For news, background, and analysis of events in Iraq, see RFE/RL's "The New Iraq" --> http://www.rferl.org/specials/iraqcrisis/ webpage.]

Analysis: Journalists Facing Tough Obstacles In Iraq

Iraq is proving to be a difficult place to work for even the most seasoned journalist. Several journalists have disappeared, been taken hostage or killed in recent days. A French-American journalist and his interpreter were kidnapped on 13 August by Shi'ite militiamen in Al-Nasiriyah. The men were released from captivity on 22 August after an aide to Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr intervened.

Analysis: The Al-Sadr Standoff

Anyone doubting the political savvy of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr must by now admit that the cleric more than makes up for his lack of an ideological platform with his ability to influence the Iraqi political scene. No sooner had the office of Shi'ite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani announced that the ayatollah would fly to London for medical treatment, than al-Sadr's Imam Al-Mahdi Army intensified its attacks on Iraqi and U.S. forces in a number of cities across Iraq.

Analysis: Iraqi Prime Minister Faces Biggest Political Test To Date

Prime Minister Allawi in a tough spot (file photo) 12 August 2004 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi faces the greatest political test of his admittedly young administration this week in the standoff between allied Iraqi and multinational forces on the one hand, and radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on the other.

Iraq: One Year After The Start Of The War

One year ago, Iraq was on the brink of war, still under the grip of Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime. Dissent was not tolerated, and even the slightest mumble of discontent could lead to arrest, torture, and even worse. News of the outside world was controlled by state-run media, save for a few illegal satellite dishes.

Iraq: Saddam Hussein Captured Near Tikrit