Topic: Iraq War

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Briefing
Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria’s stockpile

President Obama said Assad's use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line' for US. Did he use sarin or any other chemical weapon against his own people?
10 best books of 2012 – fiction

Here are the Monitor's picks for the best novels of 2012.
Fall books: 10 fiction titles you'll want to know about

If you're looking for a literary escape this autumn, try one of these new titles.
10 best books of July, according to Amazon

Amazon staff picks their favorite July books.
Six reasons to keep America as No. 1 superpower

Many around the world say American decline would preserve global stability through a better balance of power. They’re wrong, says Steve Yetiv, a political science professor at Old Dominion University. It’s not that other countries or international institutions can’t play vital roles. They do. But they can't yet do what Washington does around the world, Yetiv says. Here he gives six examples.

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Backchannels Iraqi government still using bomb detectors it knows are faulty

James McCormick was sentenced in Britain weeks ago for selling the same fake bomb detectors in Iraq during the war.
Opinion: Syria – another sign that US needs to recalibrate Middle East policy

As the US backs into Syria and other Mideast crises, China is proactively and strategically engaging in the region. Its actions point out what America has to lose if it continues to hesitate in the Middle East.
Energy Voices As Kurds gain power, Baghdad may be ready for oil deal

The Iraqi central government and authorities of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government put together a seven-point deal last week that could see the Kurds resume oil exports to Iraq in return for a revision of the Iraqi 2013 budget, Alic writes.
Decoder Wire Jon Stewart channels Dr. Seuss to mock Obama's 'red line' on Syria

Jon Stewart joins a chorus of critics poking fun at President Obama's shifting red line on Syria. But polls signal that most Americans oppose US involvement in Syria – or aren't following the issue.
Iraqi government takes 10 TV stations off the air for 'incitement'

Iraqi authorities accused the stations of stoking conflict with their coverage of a violent Army crackdown on an antigovernment sit-in. Some see a worrying crackdown on free speech.
Obama’s 'red line' on Syria: An Iraq-like 'slam dunk' moment? (+video)

President Obama said a 'red line' would be crossed if the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against rebels. Might that propel the US into war, as those elusive 'weapons of mass destruction' did in Iraq?
Briefing
Chemical weapons 101: Six facts about sarin and Syria’s stockpile

President Obama said Assad's use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line' for US. Did he use sarin or any other chemical weapon against his own people?
Decoder Wire George W. Bush on the rebound? Nothing like a presidential library to help. (+video)

George W. Bush, his approval rating already on the rebound, opens his new presidential library to good reviews, and with all four other living presidents in attendance.
Terrorism & Security Anti-government protests in Iraq devolve into sectarian fighting

Reports indicate that 128 people have been killed since clashes erupted between security forces and mostly Sunni protesters calling for the resignation of Shiite Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki.
On 10th anniversary of Baghdad's fall, Iraqis remain torn

Many Iraqis are glad Saddam Hussein is gone, but still grieve about what followed.
Chapter & Verse Condoleezza Rice plans new book – is it a prelude to a presidential run?

The former Secretary of State announced that the book will be 'an examination of democracy at home and abroad' and will be released sometime in 2015.
In Iraq, a tyrant was toppled - and then no one was in charge

The road to victory in Baghdad that began 10 years ago today was swift. But Monitor journalist Andy Nelson recalls the disquieting collapse of central authority, setting the stage for the war after the war.
Backchannels Terrorism and freedom fighting along the Syria-Iraq border

When some rebel groups kill Syrian government soldiers, the US applauds. When others do the killing, it's 'terrorism.' Why?
Focus Iraq war: The day the conflict changed

Ten years after the Iraq invasion, reporter Scott Peterson recalls the day a suicide attack threw him out of bed in a formerly quiet Baghdad neighborhood – and blew a hole in any sense that the war was keeping its distance.
How more than $8 billion in US taxpayers' money went to waste in Iraq

A report on US spending in Iraq released today found that of the $60 billion spent there, at least $8 billion, or 13.3 percent of it, was wasted.
Terrorism & Security Syria's violence continues its march across borders, into Iraq

Dozens of Syrian Army soldiers were killed yesterday while in Iraq seeking temporary refuge from fighting with rebels. They were ambushed by suspected Al Qaeda-affiliated militants.
The legacy of London's Iraq War march of 2003

Despite failing to prevent Britain from joining the US invasion of Iraq, the UK’s largest-ever political demonstration left a lasting political and cultural legacy.
After his rough Senate hearing, Chuck Hagel gets a boost from backers

His confirmation hearing performance was universally described as 'lackluster' at best – and far worse by many accounts. But Defense Secretary-nominee Chuck Hagel got some support Sunday, including another Republican backer in the Senate.
Protests surge in Iraq's Sunni regions, testing Maliki

Across majority Sunni Arab towns in Iraq today hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets,, complaining Sunnis are being targeted by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government.
Energy Voices Exxon Mobil, BP face off in Iraq-Kurd oil conflict

BP and Exxon Mobil have taken opposite sides in the escalating conflict over oil between the Iraqi central government and the Iraqi Kurds, Alic writes.
Chuck Hagel, Vietnam vet: Would time as a 'grunt' be a plus at Pentagon?

If confirmed by the Senate, Chuck Hagel would become the first Vietnam veteran – and the first enlisted soldier – to hold the post of Defense secretary. To many military veterans, that matters.
Violence in Iraq spikes. Are US security interests in jeopardy?

A recent rise in civilian deaths and injuries in Iraq is cause for concern, but Pentagon personnel say Iraqi security forces are proving to be 'very capable' in the year since US troops departed.
Backchannels US designates Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra front a 'terrorist' group at lightning speed

The US State Department designated Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra, one of the militias fighting Bashar al-Assad, a foreign terrorist organization.
A wary Iraq weighs its options as Syrian civil war deepens

Fears in Iraq of a spillover of Syria's fighting, or a victory for Sunni Islamists hostile to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, have Iraq weighing its options.
10 best books of 2012 – fiction

Here are the Monitor's picks for the best novels of 2012.