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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (95076)	4/20/2003 12:48:06 AM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You probably have the paper spread out on your kitchen table, John, but for those that don't, the "New York Times" has a huge series of articles in this Sunday's paper under the heading, "A Nation at War." Don't miss it. nytimes.com

To: JohnM who wrote (95076)	4/20/2003 5:30:56 AM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

John Burns is about as good as it gets at the "New York Times." I excerpted this from his article today. The whole article is a "must read," IMO. This is the first time this aspect has ever been reported by the "Times". He goes on to say he didn't do these things. But he knew about them. BAGHDAD DIARY Last, Desperate Days of a Brutal Reign By JOHN F. BURNS >>>>A rigorous system for controlling and monitoring Western journalists has been in place in Iraq for decades, based on a wafer-thin facade of civility. As the strains of the war mounted, that facade progressively slipped away, revealing the realities of threat and extortion that Iraqis confronted almost every day under Mr. Hussein. Long before the war, many reporters had adjusted to the pressures by seeking the approbation of the Information Ministry officials who approved visas, assigned minders and controlled special favors. Bribes were endemic, with some officials demanding sums in the thousands of dollars for visa approvals and extensions, or obtaining exemptions from the AIDS tests required for any reporter remaining in Baghdad for more than 10 days. A tacit understanding, accepted by many visiting journalists, was that there were aspects of Mr. Hussein's Iraq that could be mentioned only obliquely. First among these was the personality of Mr. Hussein himself, and the fact that he was widely despised and feared by Iraqis, something that was obvious to any visitor ready to listen to the furtive whispers in which this hatred was commonly expressed. The terror that was the most pervasive aspect of society under Mr. Hussein was another topic that was largely taboo. Every interview conducted by television reporters, and most print journalists, was monitored; any Iraqi voicing an opinion other than those approved by the state would be vulnerable to arrest, torture and execution. But these were facts rarely mentioned by many reporters. Some reporters bought expensive gifts for senior ministry officials, submitted copies of their stories to show they were friendly to Iraq, or invited key officials like Uday al-Ta'ee, director general of information, for dinners at the expensive restaurants favored by Mr. Hussein's elite. nytimes.com

To: JohnM who wrote (95076)	4/20/2003 5:43:29 AM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

I read this article, and said to myself, "How can Johnny Apple write tripe like this? Did he follow the war at all?" And then I thought, "No, John is going to read this and post it as 'revealed wisdom,' so I had better post it here ahead of him." A New Way of Warfare Leaves Behind an Abundance of Loose Ends By R. W. APPLE Jr. WASHINGTON, April 19, Nobody got it quite right. The war in Iraq, now in its final military stages after only a month of fighting, was neither as painful as its opponents predicted nor as painless as its proponents suggested. Saddam Hussein was driven from power, at a quite substantial cost in American, British and especially Iraqi lives and with still unknowable consequences for world and regional political stability. nytimes.com