Charles Recknagel is standards editor for RFE/RL.
U.S. troops in Baghdad (file photo) The assassination of the governor of Baghdad province today highlighted the deadly capabilities of Iraq's insurgents as they and the government engage in test of strength ahead of January elections. The killing caps a recent string of insurgent operations aimed at targets ranging from police stations and Iraq's fledgling National Guard to voter-registration centers.
The death toll from the 26 December tsunamis in Southeastern Asia is now more than 100,000 and growing as the bodies of more victims are found. As relief agencies try to cope with the crisis, there are fears that inadequate shelter and sanitation could lead to epidemics in the region as well. The greatest danger is posed by unsanitary drinking water.
Prospects for Sunni participation in Iraq's 30 January elections are being clouded by the withdrawal of the largest mainstream Sunni political party from the race. The Iraqi Islamic Party says it is dropping out of the election due to concerns that security is inadequate for such a poll and in protest at the government's refusal to consider requests to postpone the vote.
Iraq's 30 January elections for a new National Assembly are rapidly approaching, but uncertainty remains over how many Sunnis in central Iraq will come out to vote. Now, there are reports that some U.S. officials are proposing that the national legislature reserve a number of seats for the once dominant Sunni minority regardless of whether many members participate in the elections.
When Iran agreed to negotiate with Europe over its nuclear activities, much of the international community breathed a sigh of relief. The negotiations -- which opened on Monday (Dec 20) -- focus on an offer by Britain, Germany and France to give Iran trade advantages and technical assistance in exchange for Tehran indefinitely -- that is, permanently -- giving up its uranium enrichment activities. While a final deal has yet to be worked out, the three European Union nations view their initiative as already partly successful because Tehran has agreed to temporarily suspend uranium enrichment while the negotiators meet. That has defused -- for now -- U.S. and European worries that Iran was progressing with its efforts to master uranium enrichment while the world only discussed what to do. In Part 3 of a four-part series on the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, RFE/RL looks at where the debate goes from here. ( Part 1 --> http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/12/c4d001c0-2a9f-4a55-86a7-10271eda48e1.html looks at what is known -- and unknown -- about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Part 2 --> http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/12/d3a60813-5569-4d71-bb50-e02e26229a0b.html looks at two separate routes that Tehran might be taking in its alleged efforts to make a nuclear bomb. Part 4 --> /featuresarticle/2004/12/aeb33ea5-ebbd-43c2-b959-d6844a4c1bc6.html examines the seldom-heard views and sentiments of Iranian citizens about the country's nuclear aspirations.)
The challenge for any country clandestinely seeking to become a nuclear power is how to acquire enough fissile material for such weapons. Most countries begin by starting a commercial nuclear program, a right to which any state that has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is entitled. The commercial program can then provide a cover for engaging in so-called dual-use activities, which can have either peaceful or military uses. In Part 2 of our series on the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, looks at the progress Tehran is believed to have made along two separate routes to making a nuclear bomb. ( Part 1 --> /featuresarticle/2004/12/c4d001c0-2a9f-4a55-86a7-10271eda48e1.html looks at what is known -- and unknown -- about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Part 3 --> /featuresarticle/2004/12/f5a006e7-b8fd-4e69-977f-f4f1aacb325e.html examines diplomatic efforts under way to give Iran trade advantages and technical assistance in exchange for giving up its uranium-enrichment activities. Part 4 --> /featuresarticle/2004/12/aeb33ea5-ebbd-43c2-b959-d6844a4c1bc6.html examines the seldom-heard views and sentiments of Iranian citizens about the country's nuclear aspirations.)
In the wake of the Iraq invasion, there has been a faint but growing drumbeat sounded in Washington by officials who believe the Bush administration should now confront another member of what it has described as the "axis of evil" -- Iran. Washington alleges that Tehran is a state sponsor of terrorism and that it is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran's nuclear activities include building a commercial reactor with Russian assistance near the Gulf port of Bushehr. But what worries Washington are Tehran's efforts to master uranium enrichment -- a process that can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or, at advanced levels, material for nuclear bombs. Until recently, Tehran kept those efforts secret from the UN's nuclear watchdog agency. Now, as UN inspectors insist that Iran fully disclose all of its activities, the question of whether Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons is the focus of worldwide debate. In the first of a four-part series, "Iran Nuclear Crisis," RFE/RL looks at what is known -- and unknown -- about Iran's nuclear ambitions. ( Part 2 --> /featuresarticle/2004/12/d3a60813-5569-4d71-bb50-e02e26229a0b.html of this series looks at two separate routes that Tehran might be taking in its alleged efforts to make a nuclear bomb. Part 3 --> /featuresarticle/2004/12/f5a006e7-b8fd-4e69-977f-f4f1aacb325e.html examines diplomatic efforts under way to give Iran trade advantages and technical assistance in exchange for giving up its uranium-enrichment activities. Part 4 --> /featuresarticle/2004/12/aeb33ea5-ebbd-43c2-b959-d6844a4c1bc6.html examines the seldom-heard views and sentiments of Iranian citizens about the country's nuclear aspirations.)
Adnan Pachachi, an influential secular Sunni politician, has said his group may still decide not to campaign Iraq's Election Commission says some 6,400 candidates will compete in the 30 January vote for a National Assembly. But preparations for the election continue to be plagued by security problems and questions over how international bodies can monitor whether it is free and fair.
This year saw the U.S. face major challenges in Iraq as multiple insurgent groups proved their ability to disrupt reconstruction efforts aimed at rebuilding the country. But Washington did make progress on the political front, including the establishment of Iraq's first sovereign post-Saddam Hussein administration. Now, as the country prepares for three rounds of elections in 2005, the test will be whether the new political process can create a government with enough popular support to finally neutralize the insurgents.
A uranium-conversion facility in Iran Nuclear proliferation was a hot issue in 2004 with world attention focused on suspicions that both Iran and North Korea were secretly pursuing atomic weapons programs. But the crisis over Iran took center stage as a trio of European countries repeatedly sought to persuade Tehran to abandon any plans to become a nuclear power. Meanwhile, the crisis over North Korea got little public attention as regional talks to solve it made no apparent progress.
Recent days have seen a mounting drumbeat of charges from Baghdad and Washington that Iran and Syria are actively seeking to undermine the creation of a new post-Saddam Hussein order in Iraq. The charges have been dramatic, but also vague, leaving observers uncertain of the evidence behind them. The latest charge came yesterday, as U.S. President George W. Bush warned both Iran and Syria not to interfere in Iraq as the country prepares for its 30 January elections.
Hussein in court after his capture When U.S. forces captured former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein a year ago, there was hope his arrest would help quell the insurgency in Iraq. It didn't happen. One year on, the insurgency appears to have multiple leaders, including former Iraqi Ba'ath officials believed to be sending money from Syria, home-grown nationalists, and foreign militants.
Powell called for an OSCE role in Iraq (file photo) U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to help supervise the 30 January poll in Iraq. The request comes as some in Europe question whether there can be a fair poll when security is provided by a foreign military power that is challenged in some parts of Iraq.
Shi'a Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani has endorsed the United Iraqi Alliance (file photo) Iraqis are due to go to the polls on 30 January to elect a new National Assembly. The National Assembly will choose a new interim government and appoint a body to write the country's first post-Saddam Hussein constitution. Ahead of the vote, hundreds of Iraqi parties are jockeying to form alliances to improve their chances of winning seats. Now, one of the biggest coalitions to date has emerged -- a United Iraqi Alliance endorsed by preeminent Sh'ia Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Its organizers officially announced yesterday that it will field 240 candidates for the National Assembly, saying the list represents "the birth of a new, democratic, and just Iraq."
Adnan Pachachi (file photo) Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is in Jordan for meetings with Iraqi Sunni leaders, including some opposed to U.S.-led efforts to build a new Iraqi society. The talks are part of efforts to encourage Sunni Muslims to participate in elections scheduled for 30 January, in the face of calls by some leading Sunni groups for a boycott.
Mohammad el-Baradei (file photo) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution today endorsing Iran's freeze of uranium-enrichment activities that could lead to nuclear-reactor fuel or material for making nuclear bombs. The passage came after Tehran backed off an earlier demand to continue testing of 20 uranium-enrichment centrifuges despite a deal with three EU states to suspend such work.
Top U.S. and European officials are meeting with foreign ministers from many of Iraq's neighbors today to discuss Iraq's future. The meeting in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh comes one day after Iraq's major international creditors agreed to deep cuts in Baghdad's debt in an effort to boost the pace of the country's reconstruction.
Iraq is planning a first round of elections in January to choose a National Assembly that, among other things, will undertake the writing of the country's first post-Saddam constitution. There are many challenges to be met in the run-up to the poll. One of the biggest is securing restive areas of Iraq sufficiently enough to ensure full nationwide participation. But there are a host of other issues as well, ranging from forming candidate lists to informing voters about the polling process.
U.S. and Iraqi forces are advancing into Al-Fallujah in an operation intended to put the insurgent stronghold under government control ahead of the January 2005 elections. The military action is part of efforts to assure the national poll can be held over as much of the country as possible. But will a tough battle over Al-Fallujah help to calm restive central Iraq -- or stoke passions there further?
Iyad Allawi (file photo) Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has declared a state of emergency in Iraq that gives him the power to impose martial law in areas where he sees threats to national security. The declaration comes just ahead of an expected U.S.-led assault on insurgents in Al-Fallujah and a first round of national elections in January. But how much difference will declaring a state of emergency really make in improving Iraq's security situation?
Load more
