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Saturday, April 12, 2003
posted by gbarto at 12:36 PM:
MARINES, IRAQIS TO JOINTLY PATROL BAGHDAD;TOP SADDAM ADVISER SURRENDERS
Though there are some dangers, the joint patrols strike me as a good approach in that it will enable us to rapidly beginning turning one part of Iraqi society back over to Iraq, and the faster we can get them looking after their country themselves the better. Saddam had to go, but that doesn't mean we want to replace him; to the contrary, having one more thugocracy turn into a place hostile to terrorism - while releasing enough oil onto the markets to drop prices a little bit - is more than enough reward for our efforts, thank you.
To make it clear, this is going to be neither our Vietnam nor France's Algeria because this was neither a holding action nor colonialism (as the first Gulf War sort of turned out to be) and the Iraqi people seem to be figuring that out.
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posted by gbarto at 2:39 AM:
Instapundit has good stuff on French big oil and corrupt Canadians.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:03 AM:
Top French newspaper headlines or what Parisians will see walking by the newstand:Le Monde: Iraq on the edge of anarchy. But Mosul is settling down.
Le Figaro: Washington wants to make Paris pay. Chirac, Putin and Schroeder met and declared that they and the UN would have to be given a central role in reconstruction. Dep. Sec. Defense Wolfowitz lit into the lot of 'em for their hubris.
Libération: How long will the horror last? Namely, the siege at the mosque and the widespread looting.
Meanwhile, in an effort to broaden our coverage, we thought we'd add one paper and selected Ouest-France, the regional paper of Bretagne, published in Rennes (where I once lived about six months). Ouest-France is thought to be the most widely read paper in France (several local papers outperform the big Paris-centered dailies). But the beginning, I fear, is inauspicious: It wasn't published today because of a strike. Here's the link, however. It has also been added to the permalinks at left.
Another daily we'll be checking from time to time is up and running, however, so here's the latest from La Nouvelle République, which I read during my brief time in Tours:
Buffalo Grill Restaurants Burned in Paris Region. Three of them.
Baghdad Collapses into Anarchy. Which we all knew.
They use php pop-ups to show stories, though, which screws up linking, part of why Ouest-France - when it's working - will probably be the regional paper we update on.
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posted by gbarto at 1:31 AM:
Iraqi Ambassador Leaves New YorkAl-Douri says he cannot work in U.S. while it is 'ravaging' his country
We are, of course, brokenhearted to see him go.
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Friday, April 11, 2003
posted by gbarto at 10:36 AM:
Baghdad Falls Into DisorderEuphoria, vindictiveness, confusion
surge in capital city as government
offices, hospitals, homes are looted.
There's the Washington Post on the disorder for you.
Meanwhile, sing it Howie!
There are also such burning issues as whether the U.N., which did squat to bring about Saddam's fall, plays any role beyond distributing happy meals, and who gets the contracts for all that oil.Maybe they could pass out Frosties too, but they should be told that they are no longer representative of peace, freedom, mom, apple pie and Chevrolet or however that goes. The role of "all that is good" has moved to the Freedom Coalition and the UN has been shown as many of us have known it for years: a coalition of dictators and thugs with a handful of democrats in senior positions to try to manage the zoo. It's time for the US to look at it's replacement by Libya on the Human Rights Commission, Iraq's position on the Non-Proliferation Committee (I think it was; it was laughable whichever it was), et cetera, and say, "enough." Some worry about us becoming pariahs. But the UN isn't the place to fix that; that institution has already turned strongly against us, years ago. It's time to drop it.
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posted by gbarto at 10:23 AM:
TIKRIT ONLY KEY CITY THAT REMAINS;
FIRES RAGE IN BAGHDAD
Hopefully, we'll get things under better control soon. But there's a key difference between today and two weeks ago: US troops won't use deadly force on thieves.
Conservative grumblers: Just drop that thought right now about whether this is an improvement.
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posted by gbarto at 10:17 AM:
Broadway ImaginesFox 411: Yoko Ono approves musical version of John Lennon's life
Wow. Lennon on Broadway. It always seemed more like the sort of place Paul would wind up.
Update: Now listening to "Watching the wheels." The day can only get stranger from here.
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posted by gbarto at 4:55 AM:
Unbelievable:Main Suspects in USS Cole Bombing Escape From Yemeni Prison
And with real implications: Can Yemen be kept on as a trusted partner in the War on Terror when they on the one hand insist they can and will take care of justice and on the other lose track of ten people involved in a terrorist attack on a US ship?
Until more is known about circumstances, I wouldn't trust Yemen to bring the nachos at the next international pow-wow, never mind attempting actual affairs of state.
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posted by gbarto at 2:45 AM:
Here's Den Beste on the diplomatic shake-out from the goings-on in the Middle East. Not a good time to be the leader of France or Germany, it would seem. Nor Belgium.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:37 AM:
Poetry at... Den Beste's place! It's "The Grinch that stole quagmire," about Christiane Amanpour's coverage.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:15 AM:
Hmm. Our troops say they've found nuclear materials stored in large barrels in an underground complex. The UN sniffs that it knew it was a nuclear site and the troops probably messed up materials they were regulating prior to the war. But they also say there were no underground complexes. So along comes El Baradei:The IAEA, charged with the hunt for evidence of a nuclear program in Iraq, told the Security Council just before the war that it had uncovered no firm evidence that Saddam was renewing efforts to add nuclear weapons to his arsenal.It seems to me that the UN would lack the credibility to assure about anything if they didn't follow up on higher than expected radiation levels but US forces found the complex. Of course, for all the huffing and puffing, I think the UN's got a long way to go on most questions of credibility. The US should be highlighting how the UN's obligation to placate the tyrants among its membership expressly prevented it from doing things in an effective and straightforward manner, and emphasizing that this is why the Freedom Coalition alone can be trusted to lead any war or post-war effort, though it may have some tasks with which it would entrust the UN.
IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, clearly wary of any coalition claims, said this week that any alleged discoveries of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq would have to be verified by U.N. inspectors "to generate the required credibility."
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posted by gbarto at 2:04 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Mossoul taken, post-war in question. Pretty standard summary, except with special note on Turkish nerves about Kurdish involvement in the fighting in the north. Turkey had their chance to help us out in the north and blew it. Tant pis pour eux.
Le Figaro: Mossoul in coalition hands, anarchy in Baghdad. Specifically, two American soldier were killed, one in fighting and one by a suicide bomber. And the city is not wholly under US control yet.
Libération: Baghdad, "dangerous" city: Ministries afire, suicide attacks, etc, make it still a less than safe place to be. But Libé also has At Basra, the stench of death in the jails, which looks at the torture in Saddam's jails. The worst, from the sounds of it, small cells in which many were loaded up, denied food and water, and left to die standing up.
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Thursday, April 10, 2003
posted by gbarto at 12:37 PM:
Iraqi Shiite Leader KilledAbdul Majid al Khoei, gov't official hacked to death at Najaf mosque
It's not entirely clear, but it looks like Sunnis (Islamic variant Saddam follows) offed this guy. Iraqi hardliners had holed up in his mosque, even as he had encouraged Iraqis to stay home and let America secure the city. Is there a religious war brewing? If so, who started it? And would it be smart for Sunnis, in a shot at one last hurrah, to launch a religious war when Shia outnumber Sunnis by a factor of 3 or 4 in Iraq?
Final question: What's up with this?
[The shrine] holds the tomb of the Shiites' most beloved saint, Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law.Not a good day for the religion of peace, in any case.
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posted by gbarto at 12:30 PM:
What's happened lately:COALITION FORCES FOCUS ON NORTH;
SUICIDE ATTACK WOUNDS FOUR SOLDIERS
Part of why we're doing this:
Possible Mobile Bioweapons Lab Found (no link yet; it's FNC's hed)
WMD Materials Possibly Found
Weapons-grade plutonium may have been located in underground facility
The other part, of course, is to get rid of a tyrant who a) gives the impression being a tyrant is ok, b) looks to have been the sort to let terrorists train in his country and c) might even have given them nasty stuff for their operations - WMD or no.
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posted by gbarto at 12:24 PM:
Supersonic ShutdownBritish Airways, Air France to stop flying Concordes, cite lack of demand
A sad day for aviation. The unfortunate thing is there might be demand for the speed the Concorde offers, but neither of these airlines (nor many of the others, given their existence primarily as entrenched bureaucracies) is likely to develop a reasonable program for delivering it at an affordable cost.
The big problem with the Concorde is that was it. One plane that they spent years developing and then tried to make fit a market when it was designed not for the market but for the headlines and for giving the impression of progress. Part of what keeps the airlines going in spite of themselves is that you can pick an DC-10, a 707, a 727 or 747 or even a puddle jumper as appropriate for the length of the route and the number of passengers that typically fly a route. The one-size-fits-all Concorde program meant either flying a lot of empty seats, hacking fares, or only flying enough routes to fill the plane. The first two are commercial suicide. The third is idiotic, since the practical application of speed - getting people across the ocean fast - becomes a novelty, not a service, if you have to wait six hours for the next flight instead of getting on the 747 that's leaving in two.
Still, I guess they were pretty incredible birds. My grandfather, a private pilot for much of his life, adored his trip. He and my grandmother had taken the QE2 to England, spent a week in London and flew back on the Concorde (this would have been in the early-mid 80's). I don't think he ever mentioned the QE2 or London when discussing the trip. Alas, as I say, a novelty trip. I'm glad he got to do it. It doesn't look like I will.
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posted by gbarto at 2:06 AM:
Hee hee. John McCain has constructive suggestions on how France and Germany can help Iraq get back on its feet. Visit Instapundit for the scoop.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:59 AM:
Natalie Solent has some stuff on French impotence in their supposed spheres of influence.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:56 AM:
Hey! A Dog's Life is acting like everyone in California deserves Gray Davis. Just outside San Jose, the TurkeyBlog observes that this is like saying that Mitt Romney deserves Teddy Kennedy because he lives in Taxachussetts.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:51 AM:
Here's Cicero on the bewildered Arab media.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:47 AM:
Here come your French news headlines:Le Monde: Marines secure Iraqi capital. Of course they couldn't pass up this: Humanitarian Situation Rapidly Degrading, which means that the Red Cross bailed when the shooting got serious and that, duh, blowing up infrastructure interferes with the delivery of goods and services, including essentials. Which is why we've got people on the move and getting ready to set up a provisional administration at the Baghdad Airport to coordinate some of this.
Le Figaro: Baghdad has fallen. May a brighter, happier Baghdad rise in its place.
Libération: The Day Baghdad Fell.
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posted by gbarto at 1:40 AM:
Talked to a guy in town - of Iranian origin. Not sure when he came here, but he had a nice suggestion: Rather than spending a couple more billion to move them back later, why don't we just do Iran while we're over there?Though it sounds like Rummy's more interested in Syria at the moment.
Still, interesting to recall - as we hear about nationalism, not wanting to be "conquered" by the US, etc - that not everyone is in love with these regimes.
It was especially funny reading Tom Friedman talking about why Iraqis weren't cheering (Sure, we're free, but our water supply's been disrupted!) while watching the Iraqis cheer on television. Mr. Friedman may be very smart at times, but he can be an idiot at others. The Iraqis most likely to cheer Saddam's departure from the scene are also those most likely to have been burned by George HW Bush's "we support the Iraqi people if they want freedom, whoops never mind" mess-up. They wanted to be sure we were serious about dealing with Saddam before sticking their necks out again. Having seen that we are, they're starting to come out into the open.
Really, Tom Friedman may be bright. But a guy got a bullet in the head from Baath party agents the other day after throwing a shoe at a poster of Saddam. And he thinks the Iraqis were hesitant to cheer because of what some yo-yo from an NGO - whose name was to be given - told him?
Anyway, I'll close this scrambled up post by noting again that there are people both here and over there who - for all the talk about a shocked and aggrieved Arab world - would like to see the US keep going.
BTW, they said that Jordan was getting Iraqi oil for the equivalent of $9/barrel. Syria had a similar sweetheart deal and France's TotalFinaElf was trying to line up something similar. Would it - as the French and others are saying - be an affront to international law to scrap these efforts to line Saddam's pockets and buy him international support? Or would it be an injustice to the Iraqi people for European and Arab economic imperialists to try to give them a third of what their oil is worth? We ought to be telling the Iraqi people 1) that their oil is theirs, 2) that Saddam was selling their country's wealth for a song to line his own pockets and 3) who was gouging them and to what extent. Then they should be able to decide for themselves who they want to deal with and should be allowed to negotiate their own contracts.
Can one imagine the French, in any other circumstance, calling for anything less?
If the US tried to lock in discount contracts, would they then be screaming about the injustice done the Iraqi people?
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posted by gbarto at 1:26 AM:
Wasn't that something with the statue falling, with Iraq's capital city looking like... they'd just won a major basketball tournament. Ok, a little more civilized, a little less gunfire. Still, caught a bit of FNC this AM and it was incredible to see. And a reminder of just how amazing this all is, just remember that a few days ago we were talking about "quagmire" - days into the war!Next, the real risk for a quagmire: figuring out - as we finish gaining control of Iraq - how to navigate diplomatic waters such that we can install a regime that 1) won't appear to be our puppet and 2) can nonetheless transition the country to democracy and a halfway healthy economic system. That latter part is why we need the oil program suggested below - to make every Iraqi a stakeholder in an Iraqi economy where property and ownership are respected.
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Wednesday, April 09, 2003
posted by gbarto at 8:22 AM:
U.S. TANKS IN CENTER OF BAGHDAD;IRAQI FINANCE MINISTRY ON FIRE
There's your big headline. As we saw in the French news, some are ready to declare Baghdad - and by extension the Iraqi regime - fallen. It looks like we've some work to do yet, but the quagmire has really petered out.
This means we need to start thinking about what next. There is going to be a lot of chat about the UN. Colin Powell was right to say they'd have a role, making it clear they wouldn't get the role in running the show. But some preemptive moves are in order so that those who would thwart us at the UN and in other international forums will have their work cut out for them.
The Iraqi people have had everything taken from them - right down to their freedom - for the duration of Saddam's regime. What Saddam took has been too long in Iraqi hands for redistribution to potential former claimants. What the regime seized belongs to the Iraqi people.
The Iraqi people must, therefore, be promised now that Iraq's oil revenue is theirs, to be equally distributed among the citizenry. In a few years, mechanisms might be offered to either sell one's interest in the oil revenue or for the government to sell oil fields, but they should be contingent upon approval by the people by, say, a two-third's majority in a referendum, so that the people can decide to what degree they'll risk corruption. The five year wait would be needed because too many Iraqis know too little of property, of individual rights, of the right to vote they want, etc, and must learn about these first.
The purpose of the oil revenue distribution is two-fold. 1) It gives everybody in a thoroughly impoverished society access to some wealth, crucial for forming a capitalistic society - if most people don't own anything, they'll have no interest in protecting ownership rights. 2) It provides a lovely wedge against the Europeans who will want to begin divvying up the oil fields among themselves and using their clout in the UN to make it so. The United States should empower the Iraqi people and take its chances on their whims. Maybe they'll hire us to rebuild, maybe someone else. Maybe they'll sell their oil to us. Maybe to someone else. But I imagine the people who drove their tanks to Baghdad to announce from loudspeakers that the oil money was theirs will be favored over those suing in international court to take it away from them. This is a place where we can for once be crafty and sharp in our diplomacy while the Europeans pay for their cravenness. And all by broader than expected goodwill. We should take the chance.
Update: Is giving the Iraqi people the oil wealth a meme? Barone has talked about it; I first read about it on Instapundit a few days ago (go down about 10 for the link); this morning it was suggested on the NYT op-ed page by the head of the oil trust fund in Alaska.
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posted by gbarto at 8:07 AM:
Late French news headlines:Le Monde: The Americans at the Center of Baghdad.
Le Figaro: American Tanks Reach the Heart of Baghdad.
Libération: The Day Baghdad Fell.
«Good, good Bush», «Goodbye Saddam» crient les Bagdadiens en milieu de matinée dans la capitale irakienne, où l'opposition à l'avance américaine n'est plus que sporadique • Signe de la déréliction du pouvoir, la population a entamé des pillages et les journalistes ont perdu leurs "guides" officiels • Le commandement américain se garde cependant de crier victoire, estimant que des poches de résistance désespérée perdureront plusieurs jours encore. / "Good, good Bush," "Goodbye Saddam," shout the people of Baghdad, midmorning, in the Iraqi capital, where opposition to the American advance is only sporadic. A sign of the dereliction of power: the population has turned to looting and journalists have lost their official guides. The American leadership, however, holds off declaring victory, estimating that desperate pockets of resistance will fight on several more days.
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Tuesday, April 08, 2003
posted by gbarto at 2:26 AM:
A few days old, but a great rundown of traditional sieges versus what we're doing in Iraq from Den Beste.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:12 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Battle in Baghdad, Caliph Targeted. The French word was "raïs", which Robert says is the head of state in certain Arab nations; caliph is probably the wrong translation, but you get the idea.
Le Figaro: The Americans Try to Decapitate Iraqi Power Again. Hope he's at least nervous if we didn't get him.
Libération: In Baghdad, Symbols of Power Pounded. The same alliteration at the end in the original French.
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posted by gbarto at 1:57 AM:
No big specific news I'd highlight that you haven't already heard. We tried to bomb Saddam. May have succeeded. Probably didn't try to bomb the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, where many journalists are staying, nor Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Baghdad. May have succeeded anyway. Saddam may be alive, but it's hard to rule effectively when every indication you might still inhabit some space on this earth results in that spot of earth being reduced to rubble. So, the war proceeds apace, not won, but hardly lost. We hope it's wrapped up soon. Hope in particular that Saddam can be accounted for so that those who are afraid we'll walk out on them again will know it's safe to prepare for life in a post-Saddam world.* * *
Monday, April 07, 2003
posted by gbarto at 11:13 AM:
AOL says we're in Saddam's palace. That's a pretty strong occupation by my lights. All we know here and have to get moving. With luck we'll have Saddam soon.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:49 AM:
Here's Natalie Solent on vandalism and art.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:41 AM:
Interesting thoughts from Marcus on a recent Midwest Conservative Journal post, which seems wierdly but well-meaningly to question the patriotism of minorities - or at least whether they should be patriotic. Marcus is right to cry foul.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:33 AM:
A Dog's Life suggests American and coalition approaches work better than those of the UN for certain types of weapons inspections.* * *
posted by gbarto at 2:29 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Combat in the center of beseiged Baghdad. I'm usually pretty good with nuance, but fail to see what "assiégé" adds, other than suggesting that it is the city itself under attack, the Americans its invaders, rather than being the site of a battle between forces who may or may not have the people's loyalties in greater or lesser degrees. Part of French pooh-poohing of us? Or just a way to make the headline more dramatic? Only the people at Le Monde know.
Le Figaro: American Tanks in Center of Baghdad.
Libé gives the full rundown: American Raids on the center of Baghdad
Violent battles between American and Iraqi troops unfolded Monday morning near Saddam Hussein's presidential palace in the center of Baghdad - On Monday, the Minister of Information assured that there was "not an American soldier in Baghdad" and that the Iraqi troops had inflicted upon the Americans "a lesson that History will never forget."It's nice to see Libé putting Iraqi spin next to the facts, a reminder of the duplicity of a regime that will tell its citizens the opposite of what their very eyes can plainly see.
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posted by gbarto at 2:15 AM:
Body of 'Chemical Ali' FoundThat's the guy who gassed the Kurds. Unlike Michael Kelly and David Bloom, he will not be missed. Not even a little bit.
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posted by gbarto at 2:14 AM:
U.S. Makes 2nd Raid Into Baghdad- U.S. Marines Enter Baghdad
Iraqi Minister Denies Baghdad Siege
Proclaims 'God made us victorious' as U.S. troops seize Saddam's palaces
So, who do you believe in you're living in Baghdad?
Depends on whether it's a member of the Republican Guard asking about it, I suppose.
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posted by gbarto at 2:10 AM:
17 Kurds Said Killed by Friendly FireBBC translator also killed in mistaken U.S. bombing, Kurds say
Having heard some BBC reporting in the last few days, I'd do a thorough investigation before ruling accidental anything that happened to anyone in their team. Not that it mightn't be justified... Well, that's extreme I guess, but you get the idea...
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posted by gbarto at 2:08 AM:
Not another one!NBC's David Bloom, 39, Dies in Iraq
Weekend Today show anchor, embedded with troops, had blood clot
I remember Bloom's updates - particularly on Hardball - during the Lewinsky Scandal, and appreciated his focus on facts when many reporters were incorporating the day's spin into their version of events. Being a FoxNews viewer - when I watch TV at all - I hadn't seen him of late, but still... a damn shame. And now, two prominent journalists lost in recent days, and such losses. RIP
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Sunday, April 06, 2003
posted by gbarto at 3:47 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Baghdad lives in fear of new attacks.
Le Figaro: First day of Fighting in Baghdad.
Libération: For Americans, Battle of Baghdad has begun.
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posted by gbarto at 3:40 AM:
The big headline for the moment:Reuters: Russian Diplomatic Convoy Attacked in Iraq
No link given; it's on Foxnews.com. The war seems to have continued apace for the day - losses greater than wished, lower than they could be, and Iraq unable to decide if it's taken tough blows and needs to be saved from us or is such a strong power that it can do whatever it wishes as far as the staff goes.
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