Headlines 3/19/08

Jordan appeals for more aid to help Iraq refugees
Associated Press
March 18, 2008
Jordan appealed on Tuesday for more aid to assist neighbouring countries sheltering hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees uprooted by war, saying the solution lies in their return home.

Despite US troop surge, number of Iraqi refugees in EU nearly doubled in 2007
International Herald Tribune
March 18, 2008
Record numbers of Iraqis sought asylum in the European Union in 2007, according to statistics released Tuesday, despite a sharp reduction in violence in their country that followed the surge of U.S. forces.

Clinton Says Iraq Surge Hasn't Accomplished Goals
Washington Post
March 17, 2008
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the increase in U.S. troops in Iraq over the last year has "not accomplished its goals" in a speech this morning touting her plans to end the war in Iraq and criticizing the war positions of President Bush, John McCain and Barack Obama.

Cheney Visits Iraq and Reaffirms Support
Associated Press
March 17, 2008
Cheney, who was in Iraq 10 months ago, said the Iraqis have made legislative advances that would be vital to the country's future. He also said there was no question but there had been a dramatic improvement in security.

Red Cross: Humanitarian situation still critical in Iraq
China View
March 17, 2008
"Better security in some parts of Iraq must not distract attention from the continuing plight of millions of people who have essentially been left to their own devices," said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, the ICRC's head of operations for the Middle East and North Africa.

Iraq, 5 Years On, A Nation of Refugees
Wall Street Journal
March 17, 2008
Five years ago, Enas Abood exulted over Saddam Hussein's overthrow from her comfortable three-story home. Her husband found a job with the U.S. military and started bringing home a handsome paycheck, along with American candy for their son. As the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion approaches this Wednesday, she and her three children live in a shabby rental in a Baghdad slum.

Iraq War Fades Out As TV Story
Associated Press
March 16, 2008
Remember the war in Iraq? The question isn't entirely facetious. The war has nearly vanished from TV screens over the past few months, replaced by stories about the fascinating presidential campaign and faltering economy.

Needed: Honesty on Iraq
Washington Post
March 16, 2008
The Iraq trap now reaches out to ensnare those Americans who would be president. It invites Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain to be expedient -- instead of being frank -- about the problems ahead. They are tempted to avoid serious discussion on the campaign trail by portraying the moral choices on Iraq as easy and clear instead of acknowledging them as the tangled knots they are. Tactics crowd out strategy and purpose in such a campaign.

UN Report: Glimpses of peace and a 'window of opportunity' in Iraq
International Herald Tribune
March 15, 2008
As security improved in Baghdad, violent attacks spread last year to other parts of the country, including Diyala Province and Mosul, al-Qaida's last urban stronghold, according to the report from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.

Hard-Won Progress In Baghdad
Washington Post
March 15, 2008
Since I arrived here last August, I have been struck by four things: the financial commitment we have made to reconstruction; the precipitous decline in violence; the inklings of representative government; and the small yet significant progress in communal relations between the mostly Shiite Iraqi army and the predominantly Sunni residents of this area. One often reads of the chaos plaguing Iraq. Yet the media accounts only infrequently seem to grasp the successes being achieved.

Petraeus: Iraqi Leaders Not Making 'Sufficient Progress'
Washington Post
March 14, 2008
Petraeus, who is preparing to testify to Congress next month on the Iraq war, said in an interview that "no one" in the U.S. and Iraqi governments "feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation," or in the provision of basic public services.