Topic: Baghdad

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When dictators fall, so do their banknotes

The following now defunct or possibly soon-to-be defunct banknotes are imbued with the symbols and iconography of their leaders, past and present.
In Pictures: Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks Scandal
14 great books for foodies, recommended by the James Beard Foundation

Dive into summer with these 14 delectable culinary reads.
6 factors that will determine concessions from Iran

Can war with Iran can be avoided? In recent talks with the West in Baghdad, Iran showed some greater flexibility about its nuclear program. But Iran has a history of trickery in the nuclear arena. Whether Tehran will cooperates with Western demands depends on the following six factors.
Extradition fight: Who is Julian Assange, why is Sweden seeking him?

A British court is hearing a final appeal from Julian Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblower site, to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sex crime allegations. Here are four questions about the man and the case.

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World
John Yemma named Monitor editor

After 20 years serving in senior editing posts at the Boston Globe, Yemma is rejoining the Monitor staff in mid-July.
With Iraq toll down, U.S. more optimistic

As 'surge' brigades leave Iraq, military officials hope the improved security will hold.
Why Australia is leaving Iraq

Prime Minister Rudd criticized the US justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq as 550 Australian troops packed up to leave.
Rogue Sadr militias roam Baghdad

A Mahdi Army truce holds most of the Shiite cleric's forces in check. But some terrorize residents of Risala, a Baghdad neighborhood.
U.S.-Iran regional power plays shift

Iran's 'axis of resistance' may seem ascendant, but new chances for peace could redefine game in US's favor.
Arab states still wary of investing in Iraq

At a United Nations conference in Sweden Thursday, Iraq appealed for debt forgiveness to boost development.
Reporters on the Job
A reporter returns to Iraq – and finds guarded optimism

The evidence is seen in late-afternoon strolls in the park, meetings with long-missed friends, relief over an improved economy.
USA
Reporters on the Job
Opinion: MLK memorial: A statue fit for a King?

Critics say the memorial smacks of totalitarian art.
Opinion: The next president has to promote democracy better

Amid democratic recession, the US must rethink its freedom agenda.
World
Iraq's antiquities garner international attention

In wake of widespread illegal looting, Iraq and Western countries are attempting to better guard ancient cities from smugglers and prevent them from selling the artifacts.
In literature, too, an Israeli-Palestinian split

Two first-time literary festivals – one Israeli, one Palestinian – coincided without a nod to the other, creating one more divide in a troubled land.
Iran shifts attention to brokering peace in Iraq

Details from a secret meeting between top Iranian and Iraqi officials signal Iran's aim to 'stop arming' militias.
U.S. Army to Baghdadis: Do you really live here?

As Iraqis return to Baghdad neighborhoods once racked by sectarian violence, the US military wants to ensure that squatters aren't laying claim to their houses.
Reporters on the Job
Hasty truce with Moqtada al-Sadr tests his sway in Baghdad stronghold

A cease-fire deal between Mr. Sadr's representatives in the Iraqi government and members of the leading Shiite bloc aims to end weeks of fierce battles in Sadr City.
Baghdad's Sadr City residents fear intensifying fight

A rare daytime US airstrike in Sadr City on Thursday came as residents said that soldiers were warning them to leave parts of the district, which is a bastion of support for the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Who is Moqtada al-Sadr?

He is the 'most important and most surprising figure' of the Iraq war.
As Baghdad grapples with Sadr City, Iraqi Kurdistan busily builds 'Dream City'

The Kurdistan Regional Government is briskly pursuing oil and gas contracts and economic development, a drive that is chafing Iraq's central government in Baghdad.
A soldier's quest to save Iraqi, Afghan interpreters

Targeted by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, they find a haven in America.
Iraq's new gated communities: safer, mixed, walled-in

Residents are moving back to Saidiyah, a neighborhood once racked by sectarian violence that is now guarded by a 12-foot-high wall.