Ellen Laipson (Henry L. Stimson Center) felt the figures were fluid and was less likely to commit one way or the other, Nancy Aossey (International Medical Corps) was comfortable with the figures (and agreed the numbers were fluid) and pointed out that the UN uses the same methodology when calculating refugees in other regions while Nabil al-Tikriti (University of Mary Washington) noted that the UN figures are neither the highest numbers regularly reported by some or the lowest but within the middle. (Nancy Aossey's name was mispelled in yesterday's snapshot the first time it appeared. It appeared multiple times after and was spelled correctly. I was rushing the dictation -- due to the hearing running so late -- and take the responsibility for that mispelling. My apologies. It's pronounced "Aussie" -- for any wondering, she clarified that when Casey asked her in yesterday's hearing.)
This was a lengthy exchange (that's just a summary, I have notes, we can quote in full). And the 4.7 million would be utilized throughout the hearing. (And is utilized in the Senate press release on the hearing that will be included at the end of this entry.)
If a figure was given once and AP got it wrong, we'd note they got it wrong and move on. But I was at that hearing and it wasn't just used once. Not only was the number used repeatedly, the validity of the 4.7 million number was raised by Casey and all three witnesses weighed in on it. So how, from 4.7 million, AP runs with 3.6 million is anyone's guess? The less generous speculation would be that they have intentionally set out to underplay the refugee crisis. Whether that was the intent or not, their sloppy reporting has resulted in that as they erase 1.1 million Iraqi refugees.
AP gets credit for covering it. That appears to be the only report on yesterday's hearing. But they cover it very poorly and considering what AP's emphasizing by Nancy Aossey (the only witness AP even mentions) it would appear someone showed up late for the hearing (real late when you consider it started over an hour after it was scheduled to begin) and left early. (The points AP's emphasizing by Aossey were not her main points in her opening remarks or the points she made at the end when Bob Casey Jr. gave all three the chance to emphasize the areas they thought were most important before the hearing ended.)
I'm going back and forth and don't have the time to debate this further. We would prefer not to link to Voice of America. It is government sponsored propaganda. That's why it cannot broadcast in the US. That said, Deborah Tate has a lenthy VoA report and does a much better job than AP (including getting the figures used in the hearing correct). (Tate's report omits Nabil al-Tikriti for some reason.) Refugees International has issued a press release on the hearing:
For Immediate Release
Washington, D.C. - As security in Iraq improves, refugees and internally displaced Iraqis are starting to return home, but the returns are slow and tentative, Refugees International told Congress today. The new security climate in Iraq has not yet translated into increases in the provision of services to displaced Iraqis and more must be done to assist and protect them. Last month, Refugees International completed a mission to Baghdad, Eskanderia, Fallujah, Karbala and Hilla to assess the humanitarian situation inside Iraq. According to the United Nations, about 20 percent of Iraq's population, or more than four million people, remain displaced.
"In its strategy to encourage returns, the Government of Iraq has failed to take political, social and economic reality into consideration and examine the country's capacity to absorb large numbers of returns," said RI President Ken Bacon. "Instead, it has made the return of displaced Iraqis a component, as opposed to a consequence, of its security strategy." The testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee adds that, "Assistance to returnees, property restitution, and the provision of basic services are essential for Iraqis to return home. But many will still not return until they feel the root causes of the conflict have been addressed. They need to feel accepted by the community and provided with security guarantees."
Refugees International also expressed concern that the Government of Iraq is no longer registering internally displaced people in an effort to make the displacement problem disappear. Corruption within Iraq's government is widespread and makes it extremely difficult to effectively deliver assistance and for international and national aid agencies to operate. However, Refugees International met with impressive local groups, who provide assistance to thousands of vulnerable Iraqis without any support from the Iraqi government or the international community.
"There is no unified process to deal with returning internally displaced persons or refugees. Property disputes will linger for many years to come and are likely to spark renewed violence," added Mr. Bacon. "While security remains the major factor in a family's decision to return home, other factors play a role - infrastructure, particularly water and electricity, employment opportunities and health care. The Government of Iraq, the U.S. and the United Nations have to do a better job of working together to provide the services necessary to support returning Iraqis."
Refugees International is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises. Since November 2006, the organization has conducted nine missions to the Middle East to assess the needs of displaced Iraqis and work with international leaders to develop effective solutions to this crisis. RI's latest field report on displacement inside Iraq will be available on April 9, 2009. For more information, go to www.refugeesinternational.org/Iraq.
###
Contact:
Vanessa Parra; +1-202-540-7025
Vanessa@refugeesinternational.org
We've got another press release but we'll close out this entry with it. (It's lengthy.) That hearing was very important and the topic was very important. It's a telling statement of today's press that it's better covered by the Voice of America and that it's ignored otherwise except for an AP report. Is the refugee crisis given the attention it warrants? Pick up your paper of choice and you'll see that they are obviously not given that attention.
Along with front paging Iraq, this morning the New York Times also has two articles filed in Iraq. The second is Campbell Robertson and Sam Dagher's "British Forces Transfer Command in Southern Iraq to U.S. as Bomb Kills 7 in North" which notes British forces once numbered 40,000 in Iraq, fell to 4,000 and will further fall to approximately 400 now that the 'withdrawal' has taken place. (Those remaining are 'non-combat' and they will be under US command.) We'll note this from the article:
With the end of the British-led southeast division on Tuesday, Basra became the headquarters of a new division for American-led forces that stretches all the way from Baghdad's southern suburbs to the Kuwaiti border, encompassing Iraq's nine southern provinces.
Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, prides itself on being a cosmopolitan port city, a gateway to the Persian Gulf and Iraq's engine of economic development because of the vast oil reserves nearby. Basra Province has further strategic significance as the land route to Kuwait for American forces as they withdraw over the next 17 months.
It's interesting that this gets covered when you consider that the government e-mails about the pre-war intel and the announcement that an inquiry would take place after the 'withdrawal' got no coverage. That's not a slam at the paper's Baghdad correspondents. That is a slam at its many London-based correspondents including John F. Burns.
The UK Socialist Worker uses the withdraw to ("finally," as Pru notes) cover the inquiry:
This article should be read after: » Pakistan: Nato's war escalates
Iraq: British troops withdrawal does not mean peace
The British occupation forces in southern Iraq passed military command of the region to the US Army this week.
The handover was hailed by Gordon Brown's government as a major landmark on the road towards the final withdrawal of the 4,100 British troops in Basra. But Iraq is far from a success story – with more than a million Iraqis dead, and thousands more wounded.
Since the 2003 invasion, some 179 British personnel and over 4,000 US troops have also been killed.
The US claims that Iraq is now stable, but this "stability" rests on the cooperation between US forces and the Sunni-based Iraqi "awakening councils".
The fragility of this set up was made clear last week when clashes broke out between fighters from the "awakening councils" and occupation forces in Baghdad.
The occupation rests on dividing up the country into Sunni, Shia and Kurdish areas. The northern city of Mosul, a key oil centre, is increasingly the scene of clashes between Kurdish and Sunni forces over who will control it.
British troops are to remain in Iraq even after formally withdrawing in order to train Iraqi security forces.
Iraq inquiry must be public
Reg Keys, Rose Gentle and Peter Brierley, three members of Military Families Against the War who have all lost sons in Iraq, delivered a letter to Downing Street last week calling for a full public inquiry into the Iraq war.
Later the same day, foreign secretary David Miliband told parliament that an inquiry would take place "as soon as practicable" after most British troops return from Iraq in July.
However, Miliband suggested that the inquiry is likely to take place in secret.
This would be an insult to democracy and all of those who have campaigned tirelessly for the truth about the disastrous Iraq war.
The following should be read alongside this article:
» Pakistan: Nato's war escalates
» Anti-war campaigners help force out Czech PM
» Nato's role in promoting Western imperialism
© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.
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Britain's chief of defence staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup paid tribute "to those who made the ultimate sacrifice" and described the Iraq campaign as "a noble endeavour." "This occasion is about the countless number of men and women from the far-flung corners of the United States and from Great Britain who have striven with such courage here," he said. "I salute you with pride." Major General Andy Salmon, the senior British officer in Basra, handed over the southern base to an American commander, in a key step towards all foreign troops leaving the country and a full return to Iraqi sovereignty. The colours of the coalition's Multinational Division South-East, a specially inscribed Royal Marines flag, were lowered and replaced with the standard of the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division.
Salmon, a Royal Marine and veteran of the 1982 Falklands conflict and 1991 Gulf War, was among 40 British troops to leave Basra after Tuesday's ceremony. He and his predecessors were praised by Iraqi army General Nassir Abadi.
Caroline Wyatt (BBC) reports that the majority of British forces leaving will not be leaving until May 31st. She also notes 179 British troops have died and we'll add "thus far" because British troops are not home and will not be home come May 31st. Xinhua notes, "Tuesday's departure is part of an agreement signed between Iraq and Britain in November last year, in which the latter pledged to complete pullout of its last 4,100 soldiers from Iraq by late July 2009." Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) explains:
Major General Andy Salmon handed over what will become known as Multinational Division South to U.S. Major General Michael Oates during a ceremony at a military base in the southern city of Basra. The pullout is a process that will culminate on May 31, the Ministry of Defence said.
"This is a further step forward in the U.K.’s work in Iraq," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a statement. "There have been difficult times along the way, but British troops have made an outstanding contribution to laying the ground for a stable and increasingly prosperous Basra."
The Washington Post's Sudarsan Raghavan (at Financial Times of London) quotes US Gen Ray Odierno stating, "We have shed blood together and that is a bond that no man can break. You have restored hope where chaos reigned." Raghavan notes that approximately 7,000 US service members will replace the departing British. Terri Jud (Independent of London) explains, "Yesterday, a bright pink trailer offering 'pretzel dogs' was a sign that the Americans had begun moving into the British base, having been warned by their unofficial website that they will have to endure more spartan living conditions until the luxuries to which US forces are accustomed are built." Richard Beeston (Times of London) observes:
The British Army still knows how to perform a ceremonial withdrawal better than anyone, as the Royal Marines band and a lone piper proved at Basra airport yesterday. Thanks to decades of lowering flags and marching into the sunset on every corner of the planet, the drill is dignified and graceful – and certainly well rehearsed.
Yesterday was a poignant moment, not just for the 300 assembled American, British and Iraqi officers and other officials but for the tens of thousands who have served in Iraq over the past six years.
The Times of London's Deborah Haynes interviews UK Maj-Gen Andy Salmon:
"I think we have made a difference; we can see amazing progress has taken place in Basra. There is still an awful lot to do, of course. At least we can go having done our bit."
Asked what he planned to do when he arrived home, the general, who left Basra last night, said: "Have a couple of beers, I think, and see my missus."
A staff of about 40 also departed with him, flying first to Cyprus and then on to Britain, where they will be greeted with a champagne reception. Their exit paves the way for the majority of Britain's remaining 4,100-strong contingent to leave Iraq by July.
And Alsumaria points out, "It is to be noted that senior Iraqi officers attended the ceremony and praised the British Army saying that Iraq owes them a lot for helping Iraq's Army in all its missions."
The Kurdistan Regional Government notes:
 | ||
| » | Alexander the Great defeated Persian Emperor Darius at the Battle of Arbela, near the ancient city of Erbil. Today Erbil is the capital of Kurdistan Region | |
Some of the key events in the Kurdistan Region’s history up to the 19th century.
60-80,000 years ago: Evidence of Neanderthal man living in caves. From 1957-1961 nine Neanderthal skeletons were found in Shanidar cave, close to the Big Zab River in Erbil province just above the Kahlon-Rezan road.
30-300,000 years ago: Evidence of Old Stone Age (Middle Paleolithic) people living in six caves near the village of Hazar Merd, south-west of Suleimaniah. In one cave near Zarzi village, many flint implements of the Upper Paleolithic era were found. [1]
9,000 BC: At Karim Shahir near Chemchemal, the earliest evidence of wild wheat and barley cultivation and domesticated dogs and sheep. Start of the global change from food gathering to food producing culture. [2]
6,750 BC: At Jarmo near Chemchemal, evidence of the oldest known permanent farmed settlement of mud houses, with wheat grown from seed, herds of goats, sheep and pigs. [3]
4,000 BC: Evidence that Arbela, today’s Erbil, was occupied, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the world. Excavation is difficult because the modern city lies on top of the ancient town. [4]
612 BC: After the Babylonians destroyed the Assyrian capitals of Ashur and Nineveh, the Assyrian empire city of Arbela, today’s Erbil, becomes part of the Babylonian empire. [5]
539 BC: After Persian leader Cyrus the Great takes over Babylon, Arbela, today’s Erbil, joins the vast Achaemenid or ancient Persian empire. [6]
331 BC: Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia fight the Battle of Gaugamela, also known as the Battle of Arbela, about 75 kilometres north-west of Erbil. In the aftermath, Darius is murdered by his kinsmen and Alexander goes on to conquer the Persian Empire including Babylon, and extends his empire to the Punjab. [7]
6-700 AD: Arabs conquer Kurdistan and convert many to Islam.
1100s – 1800s: Today’s Kurdistan Region is ruled by several semi-independent principalities, the Ardalan, Botan, Badinan, Baban and Soran. [8]
Early 1500s: Kurdistan becomes the main stake of the rivalries between the Ottoman and Persian empires. [9]
1514: After Turkish sultan Selim I defeats the Shah of Persia, Kurdish scholar Idriss Bitlissi persuades the sultan to give back to the Kurdish princes their former rights and privileges, in exchange for their commitment to guard the border between the two empires. The principalities in Kurdistan enjoy wide autonomy until the early 19th century. [10]
1784: The city of Suleimaniah is founded by Prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban when he decides to transfer the Baban emirate’s capital from Qala Chwalan. [11]
1847: Collapse of Botan, the last independent Kurdish principality, which included the towns of Amadiya and Akra. [12]
[1] "The Palaeolithic of Southern Kurdistan: Excavations in the Caves of Zarzi and Hazar Merd" (1930) Bulletin of American School of Prehistoric Research 6, 9-43
[2] Old Testament Life and Literature, Gerald A. Larue. Also Prehistoric Archaeology Along the Zagros Flanks, L. S. Braidwood, R. J. Braidwood, B. Howe, C. A. Reed, and P. J. Watson, eds.
[3] Old Testament Life and Literature, Gerald A. Larue. Also Prehistoric Archaeology Along the Zagros Flanks, L. S. Braidwood, R. J. Braidwood, B. Howe, C. A. Reed, and P. J. Watson, eds.
[4] Jona Lendering, Vrije University of Amsterdam, www.livius.org
[5] Jona Lendering, Vrije University of Amsterdam, www.livius.org
[6] Jona Lendering, Vrije University of Amsterdam, www.livius.org
[7] Encyclopedia Britannica.
[8] www.wikipedia.org
[9] A brief survey of the history of the Kurds, Kendal Nezan, President of the Kurdish Institute of Paris.
[10] A brief survey of the history of the Kurds, Kendal Nezan, President of the Kurdish Institute of Paris.
[11] KRG Ministry of Tourism.
[12] Martin van Bruinessen, (1983) ‘Kurdish tribes and the State in Iran: The case of Simko's revolt’, in Tapper, Richard (ed.), The Conflict of Tribe and State in Iran and Afghanistan, London, Croom Helm, pp. 364-400.
The 'withdrawal' will be covered in today's snapshot. A few e-mails on that and the reason it wasn't noted had to do with covering yesterday's Senate hearing. If you look for news on the UK's ceremony, you will find a ton of options (far beyond what's noted in this entry). The refugee issue received very, very little coverage. On the refugee crisis, Senator Bob Casey Jr.'s office issued the following:
March 31, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs Subcommittee, today chaired a hearing on the return and resettlement of displaced Iraqis. The hearing focused on the efforts being taken by the Iraqi government, the United States and the rest of the international community to facilitate the return of Iraqis displaced internally and the repatriation of Iraqi refugees living in neighboring countries.
"Large numbers of Iraqis unable to return home not only has humanitarian consequences, but poses security risks to future Iraqi stability and the interests of neighboring states and the international community," Senator Casey said. "Accordingly, as the United States begins to draw down its military presence in Iraq, we have a both a moral and a security interest in ensuring the safety and welfare of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)."
At the hearing, Senator Casey urged the United States to work in concert with Iraq’s neighbors, donor governments and other international actors to address challenges facing Iraqi refugees and IDPs, such as: the lack of legal status for refugees; the inability of refugees to work legally; limited access to health care and education; critical food shortages and inadequate shelter, drinking water, sanitation and protection. The panel of witnesses that testified at today's hearing included: Ms. Ellen Laipson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Henry L. Stimson Center; Ms. Nancy Aossey, President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Medical Corps; and Mr. Nabil Al-Tikriti, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mary Washington.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 4.7 million Iraqis have been forced to leave their homes. Approximately 2.7 million are displaced internally, while 2 million have fled to neighboring states, particularly Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Last year, Senator Casey joined Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) in introducing the Support for Vulnerable and Displaced Iraqis Act of 2008 to mandate the development of a comprehensive U.S. strategy to address the mass displacement of Iraqis.
Senator Casey's opening statement follows below.
U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs Subcommittee
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Opening Statement on the Return and Resettlement of Displaced Iraqis
March 31, 2009
Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs meets to examine the crisis concerning Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), one of the tragic humanitarian consequences of America’s war in Iraq. The purpose of this hearing is to determine the efforts being taken by the Iraqi government, the United States and the rest of the international community to facilitate the resettlement of Iraqis displaced internally, and the repatriation of Iraqi refugees living in neighboring countries. The presence of such a large population in a state of displacement not only has humanitarian consequences, but poses security risks to future Iraqi stability and the interests of neighboring states and the international community. Accordingly, as the United States begins to draw down its military presence in Iraq, we have a both a moral and a security interest in ensuring the safety and welfare of Iraqi refugees and IDPs.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 4.7 million Iraqis have been forced to leave their homes. Approximately 2.7 million are displaced internally, while 2 million have fled to neighboring states, particularly Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Indeed, these numbers have been called into dispute, and I invite the views of our witnesses today on whether they are too high or too low. The Iraqi government has demonstrated an inability to deal with a problem of such magnitude. Declining oil revenues and institutional deficiencies are preventing the government from effectively addressing this issue. In spite of improved security conditions, displaced Iraqis who return home are confronted with deplorable living conditions, or worse, destroyed homes. I am also concerned that ongoing sectarian divisions could be preventing the government from mustering the political will necessary to deal with the refugee crisis. We should assess whether the government’s Shiite majority has an agenda to keep large numbers of Sunni refugees from returning to Iraq, and we also need to understand what is prompting thousands of Iraqi Christians to flee to Syria.
The exodus of refugees out of Iraq is overwhelming Iraq’s neighbors, which I witnessed firsthand during my trip to Jordan in 2007. Counties like Jordan and Syria cannot handle the constant flow of refugees from Iraq, and some have started to impose legal and visa restrictions on new arrivals. These countries are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention and have denied Iraqi refugees within their borders the protections and basic human rights refugees claim in most countries. As Refugees International reported last month, these Iraqis cannot find gainful employment in their host countries, and they are quickly running out of resources to sustain themselves. Unfortunately, the return of refugees to Iraq, however desirable, continues to be problematic, due to a difficult security environment and inadequate living conditions awaiting them at home.
I was pleased to hear that the Obama Administration announced FY2009 contributions of more than $141 million to help displaced Iraqis. However, the crisis does not appear to be improving. It is my understanding that the Administration is engaged in an ongoing review of policy towards the refugee challenge. President Obama has announced that, by August 2010, the majority of U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq. While I fully support the President’s plan to withdraw our forces from Iraq, I believe we must sustain our commitment to the refugee and IDP situation affecting nearly five million of its citizens, especially when the problem cannot be effectively controlled by the Iraqi government and places undue strain on its neighbors. We cannot ignore the consequences for regional stability and Iraq's internal order if a large population of dispossessed and displaced individuals remains in place. Without any opportunity for reintegration or an escape from poverty and despair, displaced populations may be susceptible to recruitment by extremist groups, threatening the viability of the Iraqi state.
In September 2008, my distinguished colleague, Senator Ben Cardin, and I filed legislation -- titled "The Support for Vulnerable and Displaced Iraqis Act of 2008" -- to mandate the development of a comprehensive U.S. strategy to address the mass displacement of Iraqis. This bill addressed several issues that are still pertinent today. And as several of my colleagues and I emphasized to then President-elect Obama in a letter we wrote in December 2008, these issues should be a focus of his administration’s overall approach to Iraq.
First, a U.S. strategy on Iraqi refugees should address the responsibility of the Iraqi government to help meet the urgent needs of its displaced citizens, including an assessment of how much assistance is needed to help meet these needs. Second, it should assess what conditions are necessary for the voluntary, safe, and sustainable return of displaced Iraqis. Finally, it should outline steps the U.S. government will take to engage the international community to implement the strategy. It is imperative that the United States work in concert with Iraq's neighbors, donor governments, and other international actors to address challenges facing Iraqi refugees and IDPs, such as:
the lack of legal status for refugees;
the inability of refugees to work legally;
limited access to health care and education;
critical food shortages;
inadequate shelter, drinking water, sanitation and protection.
Moreover, in the context of renewing U.S. engagement with Syria, the Administration could find an important avenue for cooperation by working with Damascus on the refugee crisis.
The U.S. government can also bolster its efforts to resettle in the United States those Iraqi refugees who risked their lives to assist the U.S. mission. Resettlement is the right thing to do, and it would also ease the burden on Iraq's neighbors. Only in 2007 did the previous Administration significantly increase the number of Iraq refugees to be settled in the United States. And even though the U.S. exceeded its FY 2008 admissions target of 12,000 Iraqi refugees, the demand for resettlement outpaces the steps the U.S. government is taking. Any comprehensive U.S. strategy on Iraqi refugees should examine our current resettlement plan, and draw on all relevant government agencies to support this process.
We are joined here today by an esteemed panel of experts, who will discuss the myriad challenges involved in the Iraqi refugee crisis. Our first witness is Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of The Henry L. Stimson Center since 2002. Ms. Laipson is one of Washington’s preeminent authorities on the Middle East, having written extensively about the challenges the United States faces in Iraq. Prior to joining the Stimson Center, Ms. Laipson served nearly 25 years in the United States government, many of which were devoted to analysis and policymaking on Middle Eastern issues. She was the Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council from 1997-2002, and held senior posts at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and in the National Security Council. I look forward to her analysis of the refugee crisis, how it relates to regional stability, and how the United States should approach this problem.
Nancy Aossey is President and CEO of the International Medical Corps. After becoming CEO shortly after IMC's founding in the mid-1980s, Ms. Aossey helped to transform International Medical Corps into one of the world's largest humanitarian organizations, providing more than $120 million in disaster response and recovery programs annually. Thanks to Ms. Aossey’s leadership, International Medical Corps assists the internally displaced throughout Iraq, providing badly needed medical care to those in need. She has also served as Chairman of the Board of InterAction and now serves on its Executive Committee.
Our final witness is Dr. Nabil al Tikriti of the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Dr. al Tikriti has written extensively on the effects of population displacement in Iraq and its neighbors, and its policy implications for the region. In addition to his scholarship, Al-Tikriti volunteered with the Catholic Relief Services humanitarian assistance project in Iraq in 1991-1992, and later served with Doctors without Borders as a relief worker in Somalia, Iran, Albania, Turkey, and Jordan.
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