Region

Middle East

Unions Buck Government Against Oil Wealth Plan

Oil workers unions based in southern Iraq say they will continue to fight the implementation of a proposed oil law despite the government's insistence that the unions have no legal standing.

The measure, intended to foster reconciliation by ensuring a fair distribution of the nation's oil wealth, is among the most important "benchmarks" by which U.S. commanders are to judge progress in Iraq next month.

Basra

Richard Rowley, for the Pulitzer Center

lights stutter on and off.
the sun rises and sets behind heavy curtains
while thousands of ants slowly inherit this tile and plaster to the desert.

Abbas Ibn Fernas' wings spread like a warning.

in the smooth marble stomach of our abandoned cities,
brush the flies away from the corner of his mouth

'what kind of men lived and worked in buildings like these?'
'strange to know that they were us...'

David Enders Interviewed on "Your Call with with Rose Aguilar and Sandip Roy"

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday media roundtable. This week, Rupert Murdoch's bid for the Wall Street Journal was accepted, the House passed ethics reform, and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testified at a hearing about the death of Pat Tillman. Joining us to discuss the news of the week is Robert Hodierne of Army Times, David Enders, independent reporter in Iraq, and Pratap Chatterjee of CorpWatch. What was your story of the week? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar.

Can't Say Goodbye

Richard Rowley, for the Pulitzer Center
Iraq

lights stutter on and off.
the sun rises and sets behind heavy curtains
while thousands of ants slowly inherit this tile and plaster to the desert.

Abbas Ibn Fernas' wings spread like a warning.

in the smooth marble stomach of our abandoned cities,
brush the flies away from the corner of his mouth.

'what kind of men lived and worked in buildings like these?'
'strange to know that they were us.'

Iraq: Death of a Nation?

black smoke billows into a starless sky.

we were the ones who dried the canals and planted death in the river bank - powder and steel among the reeds. smallpox in a dakota blizzard. boot leather on the slave-bricked streets.

custer's 7th cavalry dismounts in fallahat.a hand pressed to the heart, just above his 9.

black points float in clear blue irises.her rank is missing from her uniform.

why does nothing taste good?

Custer's cavalry

Richard Rowley, for the Pulitzer Center
Iraq

black smoke billows into a starless sky.

we were the ones who dried the canals and planted death in the river bank -
powder and steel among the reeds.
smallpox in a dakota blizzard.
boot leather on the slave-bricked streets.

custer's 7th cavalry dismounts in fallahat.
a hand pressed to the heart, just above his 9.

black points float in clear blue irises.
her rank is missing from her uniform.

why does nothing taste good?

TSD

David Enders, for the Pulitzer Center
Iraq

Kid

I filmed this kid after a car bombing on Sunday. He died at the hospital later of internal injuries.

In the country of death, we are always embedded

David Enders, for the Pulitzer Center
Iraq

The break in blogging is due to Rick and I being on an embed and not having the time to blog or a regular internet connection. But as we come off the embed, I want to address that subject. Some people still maintain it is impossible to tell an accurate story embedded, I see it as the only way possible to find out what's going on with the military.