Wheels of Justice

A powerful story from young Iraqi refugees and immigrants in Australia: Young Iraqi women living in Western Sydney have created digital stories about their experiences - harrowing journeys by boat to Australia, their time in detention, stories of longing for family left behind, and dreams of future lives in a new land.

Veteran Iraq campaigner Kathy Kelly denounces the current efforts by some in the US leadership to require the Iraqi government to foot the bill for US costs in Iraq, and challenges the argument that the American people are bound to continue to fund the war - rather than reparations, relief, and reconstruction - with their tax dollars.

As it became clear last week that the "Operation Knights Assault" in Basra was in serious trouble, the George W. Bush administration began to claim in off-the-record statements to journalists that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had launched the operation without consulting Washington.

Non-governmental organizations appealed to the Iraqi authorities today to facilitate their distribution of relief materials in Baghdad and Basra. Both cities are under an indefinite curfew due to ongoing clashes between government forces and the Mahdi Army, the Shia militia led by Moqtada al-Sadr.

Comprehensive coverage of the violence that has drawn Iraqi, U.S., and British military forces together in a battle against Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army in the south of Iraq and beyond.

Immortalised in stark black and white, two photographs of everyday life in Iraq confront visitors to the Pomegranate Art Gallery in the heart of SoHo, New York City. This is the only gallery in New York City to specialise in modern Middle Eastern art. Its current exhibit, "Contemporary Iraqi Art," features the work of 16 Iraqi artists, many of whom have fled Iraq and now live scattered across Europe and the Middle East.

The International Organization on Migration's humanitarian activities in Iraq's southern city of Basra and as well as in other southern governorates have been put on hold as violence and curfew prevent staff and partners from providing humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people and vulnerable populations.

"On the surface, the story may look plausible enough," writes Reidar Visser, author of Basra: The Failed Gulf State. "A provincial city rich in oil degenerates into mafia-style conditions affecting the security of citizens as well as the national oil revenue; the central government intervenes to clean up. Still, there are probably few spots on this planet where the search for mono-causality is more futile than Basra."

"The humanitarian situation is getting worse by the minute--not the hour or the day," says Salih Hmoud, head of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society's office in Basra. "Shootings, explosions and roadside bombs are preventing our teams from getting out and reaching people in need of our humanitarian aid, and we can no longer reach government hospitals to supply them."

Life in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, has been paralyzed by a large-scale government military operation against militiamen of the Mahdi Army led by radical Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr, Mahdi al-Tamimi, head of the city's Human Rights Office said.

Yesterday news reports began streaming in of a "major security operation" being conducted by the Iraqi security forces, backed by US air and other support, in many parts of Southern Iraq. The main target appears to be the Mahdi Army, which has observed a ceasefire for many months. That ceasefire now seems strained to the breaking point. Moqtada Sadr has called for a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience, and many Sadrist-controlled areas are responding. But while news reports vary in their ability to place these ongoing developments in context, most are missing the most essential dynamics at work.

The wounds of war go far beyond destroyed infrastructure and broken bodies. For Iraq's children, these casualties include a genuine childhood, and in many cases, the sound of laughter.

In this brief update, Najlaa Al-Nashi writes from Amman about a recent series of performances for children organized by DAI in Jordan featuring a British circus arts troupe.

I returned to Baghdad late last year and initially felt hopeful. I had lost neighbors and friends, but the violence was lessening as security had improved. As I have further explored Baghdad, however, my first impressions of hope have been dashed. The city center is surrounded by cement walls now, resembling a jail. Violence may have waned, but people's lives continue to be plagued by fear and suspicion.

One of the most destructive qualities of how events in Iraq are framed in the English-language media is the oversimplification of Iraq's political actors into three groups: Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. A recent article by Reidar Visser in Middle East Report is a much-needed reminder - through the lens of the debate over the proposed Shiite "super region" - that without understanding the true dynamics and complexities of Iraq's politics, there is little hope of understanding paths toward a better future for Iraq's people.

The president of the Iraqi Journalists' Syndicate died on 27 February, four days after being seriously wounded when he was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Baghdad. Shihab al-Tamimi was wounded in the stomach, shoulder and face when his car was hit by a hail of bullets in a targeted attack on 23 February. He died in hospital on 27 February. Al-Tamimi's son Rabie was also in the car and was injured in the attack.

A study by IOM aimed at assessing the mental health and psychosocial needs of Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Lebanon has found high levels of emotional and psychological distress. The assessment, carried out between November 2007 and January 2008 among 200 families (800 people) in the two countries, revealed that more than half of those interviewed disclosed distress factors including panic attacks, anger, tiredness, sleep problems and fears.

You might have missed it as in most of the world it was not front page news but a NATO member attacked a sovereign state last week. Troops were amassed, as many as a 10,000 of them in some reports, and then poured across the border supported by combat helicopters and fighter jets.

Two major suicide attacks in February led to a sharp increase in violence-related civilian deaths that month - up by more than a third from the previous month, government figures show. The figures, released by the interior, defense and health ministries, showed at least 633 civilians were killed or found dead nationwide compared to 466 in January. At least 701 civilians were wounded in February.

A new UNICEF report details the state of Iraq's children. According to the report, more than 2 million lack adequate nutrition, only 28% of Iraq's 17 year olds made it to final exams this year, and one-third of children in remote areas were cut off from health outreach services.

While speculation continues on the reasons for a reduction in violent deaths in parts of Iraq in recent months, one thing is clear: It has a lot to do with the Mahdi Army. A new report from the International Crisis Group assesses the role that the Mahdi Army's ceasefire has played in reducing violence in Iraq in recent months, and makes recommendations to all parties involved about next steps.