(A man carries the body of a child killed in mortar attack, in Sadr City, Baghdad’s Shiite slum, Iraq, Tuesday, May 1, 2007. AP photograph)
At times I marvel at those who create a web of lies and then gradually come to believe in them. The world is informed that the US troops’ two-month-old ‘surge’ was ‘progressing well’ in Iraq. And in September the US chief commander in Iraq is expected to submit the ‘progress report’.
But the news of the dramatic/deadly/daring attacks and explosions that take place in the most secure and fortified areas of the capital city of Baghdad tend to take away the fig leaf.
Here is the latest:
Mortar rounds slammed into the U.S.-controlled Green Zone on Tuesday, with one striking within 100 yards of the Iraqi prime minister’s offices, a government official said. No casualties were reported, writes Qassim Abdul-Zahra of the Associated Press.
“It was the second attack against the Green Zone in 12 hours, and it underscored heightened concerns about security in the area that is home to the U.S. and British embassies and thousands of American troops.
“An Iraqi government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity in discussing security issues, said six mortar rounds fell around the offices of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday and the closest came within 100 yards of the compound.
“The explosions late Monday also were directed toward that part of the Green Zone, also known as the international zone, the official said.
“Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. and British embassies, the Iraqi government headquarters and thousands of American troops on the west bank of the Tigris River…”
With the rebels/militants/terrorists openly challenging the might of the only superpower in the most fortified zone, one can imagine what is happening in other parts of Iraq from where the news seldom makes the headlines.
Meanwhile the White House and the Congress quibble over war funds, Presidential veto and deadlines. To read my earlier post please click here…
Finally, this unbelievable story under the heading: “Iraqi Parliament Planning Two Month Recess”…
“Yes, you read that correctly. The Iraqi parliament – who our brave young men and women are fighting to protect and preserve – is planning on taking a two month vacation during the months of July and August. This is wrong on so many levels…” Read on…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.