Region

Middle East

Lebanon: Nahr al Bared military mastermind laid to rest

All summer, the conflict at Nahr al Bared between the Lebanese Army and the Islamic militants Fatah al Islam raged on. And while reminders of the ongoing fight showed up across the country on roadside banners of support for the Army and in the almost daily press updates and soldier body counts, in Beirut – where I was based – the trouble felt very remote – it was happening "up there," meaning the city of Tripoli 85km north.

The Battle for Basra and Iraq's Oil

"With over 80 percent of the country's known oil reserves, Basra holds the key to Iraq's economy. Without its revenues the central government in Baghdad would collapse. The struggle for power in Basra is central to the larger battle for control in the new Shiite dominated Iraq. This is a report from Basra by independent filmmaker Rick Rowley of Big Noise films." (Democracy Now!)

Listen to or watch the video here.

TRANSCRIPT:

Part 1 - Battle for Basra

Basra is Iraq's economy – its Rumeila oil fields tap one of the largest pools of petroleum in the world, and without its revenues the central government in Baghdad would collapse. This wealth makes Basra the site of a battle for political control between the three largest Shiite parties in Iraq – al-Hakim's SIIC, Moqtada al-Sadr's 'Sadrist Current', and the Islamic Virtue Party, which controls the Basra governorate and is linked to the Oil Workers' Union.

Part 2 - Battle for Basra

Basra is Iraq's economy – its Rumeila oil fields tap one of the largest pools of petroleum in the world, and without its revenues the central government in Baghdad would collapse. This wealth makes Basra the site of a battle for political control between the three largest Shiite parties in Iraq – al-Hakim's SIIC, Moqtada al-Sadr's 'Sadrist Current', and the Islamic Virtue Party, which controls the Basra governorate and is linked to the Oil Workers' Union.

Dangerous Allies

New alliances with Sunni militias have reduced attacks on American troops in Anbar and elsewhere in Iraq, but will this new strategy lead to lasting stability, or is it feeding a sectarian civil war and exacerbating a growing refugee crisis?

Rick Rowley and David Enders on Pacifica Radio

Rick Rowley and David Enders were interviewed on Pacifica Radio's KPFA 94.1 "Living Room" program on September 13 and Rick was interviewed on KPFT Radio's "Arab Voices" on September 12.

On "Living Room," host Kris Welch interviews David Enders and Rick about the testimony given September 10, 2007 before a joint session of the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees by Army General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in occupied Iraq.

Refugees Flee Iraq but Find Long Wait

Salam and Hanan's 6-month-old son, Hamoudi, will probably not grow up in Baghdad. He will have lots of company.

Salam, Hanan and Hamoudi are among about 2 million Iraqi war refugees living in Syria and Jordan. They left Baghdad in June after their house was raided by militiamen because Salam worked as an accountant for the Iraqi government. He took a leave from his job, but it seems unlikely he will return. He was also threatened by members of a political party after filing a report that implicated party members who work in Iraqi government of embezzlement and corruption.

Al-Anbar

Democracy Now!, a daily radio and TV news program, featured on September 11, 2007 David Enders and Rick Rowley's investigative video on Al-Anbar. Amy Goodman interviewed Rick Rowley in a U.S. broadcast exclusive. The video piece is excerpted from an expose that aired on Al Jazeera English.