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>EPIC Guest Blogger: Marla Bertagnolli on Cluster Bombs Beyond Combat

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Marla Bertagnolli is Associate Director of

The most common and arguably the most threatening of these is cluster munitions. Large canisters, each containing hundreds of cluster bomblets, disperse rapidly over an extremely wide area. Up to 40% fail to explode on impact and leave hundreds or thousands of sensitive bombs on the ground where civilians -– such as Ali and his brothers –- can accidentally detonate them in the course of their daily lives.

But there is hope. With advanced technology, communications systems and precision weapons, the threat to civilians can and should be limited significantly.

Many countries are calling for complete bans on these weapons. Though the U.S. will likely not sign onto that ban, Congress is currently considering legislation addressing cluster munitions. The Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 (S. 594/H.R. 1755 I.H.), initially introduced in the Senate on February 14, 2007, limits the use, transfer and sale of cluster munitions and is intended to lower the threat to civilians in conflict. The Senate Appropriations committee has also inserted a portion of the CMCPA language into the fiscal year 2008 round of appropriations. Word from the Capitol is, they are testing the waters to gauge support for the issue. By fall, we should know where the chips lie. You can help by taking action through CIVIC’s website to tell your Senator to cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act.

The pushback against this legislation comes in part from the defense industry. According to information received by Human Rights Watch, the U.S. inventory alone contains more than one billion individual submunitions, including more than forty different types of air and surface-delivered cluster bombs. Under the CMCPA, before these weapons could be considered for sale, export or transfer, each would need to be retrofitted with self-destruct devices in order to significantly decrease the current dud rate. This poses a huge financial and operational headache for those dealing with U.S. weapon systems.

In a world where warfare is increasingly fought in populated areas, there simply is no place for weapons that indiscriminately destroy lives. Legislation limiting cluster bomb sale and use is an important part of the evolution of the protection of civilians in armed conflict. It is a marked change in U.S. policy and will, if passed, protect civilians — particularly children –- from extreme harm.

And that is something we can all agree on.

>End in Sight? Leading Scholars Revise “Doom and Gloom” Outlook on Iraq

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Troop morale is high. The soldiers have confidence in their leader’s strategy. They’re living in harmony with the people, tailoring their operations to the specific needs of each community, and making a real difference. The people are optimistic, and different sects are coming together against extremists and violence. Local leaders are cooperating towards economic revitalization and development, with fresh strategies and renewed vigor. And all the people are coming together to cheer on their favorite, continent-dominating sports team.

Nonsense, you say. This couldn’t possibly be the same Iraq we’ve been hearing about every day in the media since this war began. It must be some sort of fairy-tale. The Iraq we know is a chaotic, violent place, full of angry warring factions and hatred for America and our miserable, failing U.S. troops. There’s no hope for the Iraq we know. This just couldn’t be the same place.

Michael O’Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack are getting similar responses to their article in today’s New York Times, titled “A War We Just Might Win.” Although Pollack and O’Hanlon describe themselves as “two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq,” their new article arouses criticism of Republican partisanship as well as questions of sanity from many who are eager to recount the albeit grave costs of the war and ignore any progress being made. But is the cry of “withdrawal” so strong that it’s drowning out evidence of the troop surge’s success?

At EPIC, we’re interested in the truth regardless of the politics. Democrat vs. Republican squabbles don’t influence our perspective. We’re only interested in reality, and finding real solutions for the people of Iraq.

So why do we believe O’Hanlon and Pollack’s rather rosy assessment of the situation? Because regardless of where these two men might come from, it’s exactly the same thing we’ve been hearing from the Iraqis, themselves, and others in the NGO community who have nothing to gain from supporting the Bush administration.

The peacebuilders we’ve interviewed have all stressed the importance of community-based solutions for Iraq, and O’Hanlon and Pollack describe that happening with the new Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Our sources say Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds often overcome their differences and come together for common goals, and O’Hanlon and Pollack confirm that as well — as does the championship-holding Iraqi soccer team.

These guys don’t claim we haven’t a long way to go. O’Hanlon and Pollack stress that “the dependability of Iraqi security forces over the long term remains a major question mark,” and that “more must be done” in terms of economic development and security building. They acknowledge the reality that people are still dying. But the point is, progress is possible, hope is justified, and we can’t afford to overlook successes for the sake of political posturing.

>”No End in Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq – The Inside Story From the Ultimate Insiders”

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The “why” and “how” leading to the 2003 war in Iraq are bogged down in a muck of half-truths and contradictions. Even today, a lot of important questions lack sufficient answers. Perspective is wavering, and an insider’s point of view fails to elucidate because it is the insiders themselves whose actions have rendered our questions necessary. Bias fills our conversations and leaves authors of modern-day history books waiting, with pen in hand, to figure out what really happened.

The new documentary “No End in Sight,” opening this weekend in select theaters nationwide, removes a good portion of this obfuscation. Filmmaker Charles Ferguson explores the fundamentals of the invasion, the planning behind it, and the people constructing the strategy. Adapted from over 200 hours of footage, the film offers a wide range of interviews and history from high-ranking officials directly involved with the war.

Just a few expert reviews:

“Charles Ferguson’s exacting, enraging new film, may signal a shift in emphasis,a move away from the immediacy of cinéma vérité toward overt political argument and historical analysis. Not that these have been scarce over the past few years, as an ever- growing shelf of books can testify. Among Mr. Ferguson’s interview subjects are the authors of some of those books — notably Nir Rosen (“In the Belly of the Green Bird”), James Fallows (“Blind Into Baghdad”) and George Packer (“The Assassins’ Gate”) — and his film in effect offers a summary of some of their conclusions.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times


“With an accountant’s eye for precision and a political scientist’s grasp of the machinations that move national policy, Charles Ferguson’s “No End in Sight” itemizes the errors, misjudgments and follies that have defined the Bush Administration’s invasion of Iraq. In his first doc, Ferguson delivers the calm, meticulous survey of U.S. policy that legions of critics of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11″ have been waiting for. By no means definitive or comprehensive, the pic nevertheless contains plenty of information within a conventional running time and will raise auds’ hackles — pointing to powerful B.O. biz for a current affairs doc.” – Robert Koehler, Variety.com

The movie hits theaters this weekend. Don’t miss it.

>”Bring Your Daughter Here”: U.S. Soldiers Selflessly Aid Injured Iraqi Child

>The U.S. government’s record on coming to the aid of our Iraqi allies when they are in need has so far been pretty dismal, especially concerning

His apartment was in ruins, he said. One of his two daughters had been badly injured. Something had pierced her head when their apartment disintegrated. He had taken her to a hospital filled with the injured, but overwhelmed doctors had said there was nothing they could do, that she needed more help than they could give, and so he was standing on a street with his bleeding daughter at his side, afraid that she was going to die.

“The only hope you have is to get her to an American hospital?” said Maj. Brent Cummings, executive officer of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, for which Izzy is an interpreter. He was repeating what Izzy had just said. Izzy started to answer. The cellphone went dead. “Izzy?” Cummings said. “Izzy?”

How do moments of decency occur in a place such as Baghdad, in a war such as this war? Perhaps by what several officers on an Army base in eastern Baghdad decided to do next.

Please continue reading the story here.

>”Dying in the Desert”: Congressional Briefing Addresses Needs of Iraqi Children

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The picture at left was taken four days ago at the

U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), an original cosponsor of the

Ambassador Johnstone’s appeal was emotional. “I speak to you mainly as an American,” he said. “This war is a product in large part of our intervention in Iraq, and we have a special responsibility to the consequences of this war. We desperately need to help these people.”

EPIC agrees. To find out how you can help, click here.

>Next Steps: What YOU Can Do for Iraqi Refugees!

>More Members of Congress are signing on to cosponsor H.R. 2265, The Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act, every day. This bill would provide support for Iraq, NGOs and neighboring countries to handle the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian and protection situation for 4 million displaced Iraqis. It also provides special visas for the most at-risk refugees — particularly those in danger for working closely with American soldiers and NGOs in Iraq.

Here is the list of cosponsors as of 8/2/07, organized by date of sign-on:

Rep Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] – 5/10/2007
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] – 5/10/2007
Rep Shays, Christopher [R-CT-4] – 5/10/2007
Rep McGovern, James P. [D-MA-3] – 5/16/2007
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-11] – 5/16/2007
Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-12] – 5/16/2007
Rep Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-28] – 5/21/2007
Rep Capps, Lois [D-CA-23] – 5/21/2007
Rep McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] – 5/24/2007
Rep Baird, Brian [D-WA-3] – 6/5/2007
Rep Holt, Rush D. [D-NJ-12] – 6/5/2007
Rep Sestak, Joe [D-PA-7] – 6/7/2007
Rep Dingell, John D. [D-MI-15] – 6/11/2007
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI-2] – 6/11/2007
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [D-CA-6] – 6/13/2007
Rep Moran, Jerry [D-KS-1] – 6/15/2007
Rep LaTourette, Steven C. [R-OH-14] – 6/15/2007
Rep Delahunt, William D. [D-MA-10] – 6/15/2007
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI-2] – 6/15/2007
Rep Ellison, Keith [D-MN-5] – 6/15/2007
Rep English, Phil [R-PA-3] – 6/15/2007
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [D-CA-39] – 6/15/2007
Rep Watson, Diane E. [D-CA-33] – 6/18/2007
Rep Payne, Donald M. [D-NJ-10] – 6/19/2007
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-6] – 6/19/2007
Rep Honda, Michael M. [D-CA-15] – 6/20/2007
Rep Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] – 6/21/2007
Rep Pomeroy, Earl [D-ND] – 6/21/2007
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [D-MA-8] – 6/21/2007
Rep Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2] – 6/21/2007
Rep Lantos, Tom [D-CA-12] – 6/21/2007
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC] – 6/22/2007
Rep Israel, Steve [D-NY-2] – 6/22/2007
Rep Gilchrest, Wayne T. [R-MD-1] – 6/22/2007
Rep Wexler, Robert [D-FL-19] – 6/25/2007
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [R-NC-3] – 6/27/2007
Rep Frank, Barney [D-MA-4] – 6/27/2007
Rep Hooley, Darlene [D-OR-5] – 6/28/2007
Rep Davis, Tom [R-VA-11] – 7/11/2007
Rep Snyder, Vic [D-AR-2] – 7/11/2007
Rep Crowley, Joseph [D-NY-7] – 7/16/2007
Rep McDermott, Jim [D-WA-7] – 7/16/2007
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] – 7/17/2007
Rep Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] – 7/17/2007
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-22] – 7/17/2007
Rep Olver, John W. [D-MA-1] – 7/18/2007
Rep Allen, Thomas H. [D-ME-1] – 7/23/2007
Rep Jackson, Jesse, Jr. [D-IL-2] – 7/23/2007
Rep Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] – 7/24/2007
Rep Moran, James P. [D-VA-8] – 7/24/2007
Rep Welch, Peter [D-VT] – 7/31/2007
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-14] – 7/31/2007
Rep Filner, Bob [D-CA-51] – 7/31/2007
Rep Berkley, Shelley [D-NV-1] – 8/2/2007
Rep Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2] – 8/2/2007
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-8] – 8/2/2007
Rep Davis, Susan A. [D-CA-53] – 8/2/2007

If your member is on this list, congratulations! Your work is done. But if not, there are a few important steps you can take on behalf of millions of innocent Iraqi civilians displaced by violence.

Step #1. Send a letter to your representative through our action center. If you have already done so, move on to step 2.

Step #2. Place a follow-up call. The House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 can connect you to the right office. Ask for the legislative assistant handling the Iraq refugee crisis, and tell him or her that the time is NOW to cosponsor H.R. 2265 and thus protect and assist innocent Iraqi refugees. If you haven’t received a letter from your member in response to your action in Step #1, be sure to ask why. And please email EPIC to let us know how your member’s office responded — the more info we have, the more effective our advocacy will be.

Step #3. Schedule a visit with your representative. Congressional recess is coming up in August, and many members will be heading home for the month. You can find local contact info by entering your rep’s name into your favorite search engine and going to his or her website. So give a call and set up a meeting in August to express your concern for Iraqi refugees, and again, be sure to let us know how it goes.

Step #4. Make a donation to EPIC. Our advocacy work is made possible by the contributions of our members. Every dollar makes us that much more effective in our mission of building peace and protecting the innocent in Iraq.

You can also help by writing letters to local publications when they run stories about Iraqi refugees, and telling your friends about EPIC and our action center. We all need to continue working together to keep the pressure up. Those refugees are counting on us.

>FYI: Epic Booklist

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So there was a tremendous commotion at bookstores this past Friday. As customers thronged around checkout counters all across the country, exceptionally long lines and hordes of consumers awaited the stroke of midnight. Why midnight you ask? Well that was when the latest, hottest, frenzy-inspiring book was released.

If you don’t know which book we’re talking about, it’s because you haven’t been visiting EPIC’s book list. Didn’t know we had a book list? Well that’s another problem. We keep the most up-to-date and comprehensive source of the best Iraq literature on the web. From military strategy, to children’s books, we have it.

With Congress coming to its summer recess, and personal vacations looming, I think it’s time you updated your summer reading list. I mean, what else are you going to do on the beach?

Oh and if you still don’t know what book garnered all the commotion last Friday, you should really check out our “Notable New Releases.” I’ll give you a clue though: it doesn’t start with a “Harry” or end with a “Hallows.” ;)

>Kirk Johnson and Iraqi Refugees Get Press

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On the July 15th “World News With Charles Gibson,” ABC News ran a story on Iraqi refugees, featuring Kirk Johnson. The segment, titled “Left Behind: Adocates Helping Iraqis Come to the U.S.,” involved interviews with Johnson as well as Ellen Sauerbrey, the top State Department official on refugees. You can watch the video and read the accompanying article here, and I highly recommend both.

Meanwhile, Kirk got more press with an article in Sunday’s Washington Post by Spencer Hsu. This article, “Envoy Urges Visas for Iraqis Aiding the U.S.,” cites Kirk making what I believe is one of the most compelling arguments in favor of aid to Iraqi refugees:

Kirk W. Johnson, who served as regional reconstruction coordinator in Fallujah in 2005 for the U.S. Agency for International Development, said the damage to the United States’ standing in the Muslim world will be long-lasting if the country’s immigration officials are unable to tell friend from foe in Iraq — between terrorists and those who have sacrificed the most to work and fight alongside Americans.

“If we screw this group of people, we’re never going to make another friend in the Middle East as long as I’m alive,” said Johnson, who is advocating the resettlement of Iraqis who have worked for coalition forces. “The people in the Middle East are watching what happens to this group.”

This week, EPIC continues to advocate on behalf of Iraqi refugees, and we’ll keep you informed of our progress.

>The Econ Report: “So How Many Resumes Should I Bring?”

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So you don’t have a job? Of course you don’t. You live in Iraq. Unemployment nationwide has been hovering between a dismal 25% and an astoundingly bad 40% for almost three years now. But don’t worry, if you live in the Karkh area of Baghdad you can ignore those numbers. Your unemployment rate is closer to 60%!

Faced with this crisis, the Karkh Chamber of Commerce and Industry NGO recently took some action. I know what you’re thinking: there seems to be only one obvious answer to a 60% unemployment figure. And you would be right — they held a jobs fair!

Over 25 companies and several international businesses showed up, all offering jobs in areas around Baghdad considered relatively safe. What’s even smarter is that each company was looking for applicants with residences in the area a particular project would be rooted. With less road to travel, or hardly any at all, workers are much safer from insurgent attacks.

While the notion of a jobs fair in Baghdad might not be the first solution that comes to mind in light of a 60% unemployment figure, consider this: over 4,000 applicants attended (predominantly younger persons with college degrees) and thousands of jobs were offered. With such an enthusiastic turnout, another fair has been scheduled in Rasafa, Baghdad.

“We intended to put companies in direct touch with the unemployed. The unemployed should invest their energy working in their neighborhoods instead of joining the insurgents,” said Ali Jamil Latif, head of the NGO. “We believe that when we ensure people have a good life, the security situation will improve.” Indeed, EPIC’s recent Ground Truth Interview with Professor Eric Davis came to the same conclusion, as well as several non-job-fair solutions for Iraq’s unemployment crisis.

We need to remember that economics and security are intertwined. The jobs fair, while such a simple idea, means that the 4,000 persons in attendance are 4,000 persons less likely to be recruited for militias and terrorist groups. A jobs fair could link someone who is increasingly worried about how he or she is going to put food on the table with the means to do so. Unemployment is not just a statistic: it’s progress defined.

PHOTO CREDITS: Characters in the comedy cult film Office Space (1999) contemplate what it would be like if they all lost their jobs.

>EPIC Guest Blogger: Jessica Guiney on “Martyrs Without Borders”

>A small crying girl, her body covered in cuts from the blast. Faces melting in screams are frozen in time, captured in grief for hours. Reading news, surfing the internet, I’m under no illusion: I am, by all relative measures, safe. These people, the victims of suicide bombings in Iraq, are not. I am left wondering: what is going on?

While I can’t understand the entirety of this messy and complex conflict in Iraq, I feel I have a better comprehension after attending an event on Iraq suicide bombings at the

However, most of the victims of these attacks aren’t occupiers; they’re usually innocent Iraqis, including women and children. In fact, Hafez argued, most suicide attacks in Iraq do not target the U.S., but rather Iraqi police and Shi’ite communities. While he acknowledges the ongoing conflict between Sunni and Shi’ites, he thinks it is overplayed in terms of suicide bombings. These attacks, instead, are strategically calculated to create disorder, enflame the sectarian conflict, and make people blame the U.S.

The Iraqi ambassador pointed out that suicide bombings, while not as frequent as other types of attacks, disproportionately affect security in relation to the small amount of money, manpower, and technology needed to create an attack. But beyond the physical damage, with each failed U.S. program and each suicide bomb comes damage to the campaign for “hearts and minds.” Extravagant, top-heavy programs currently funded by the U.S. lack impact on everyday life for Iraqis. Suicide bombings, on the other hand, are a painful and too frequent reality.

Baghdad is the epicenter of a global confrontation of ideas, and the majority of the people there are allies of the United States. The Ambassador insisted that the U.S. must engage them, and find ways to collaborate at a grassroots level. Iran ensures control and efficiency in its spending in Iraq by operating locally, within small communities. While the US may outspend many other parties in Iraq, it also must ensure that spending is effective.

As difficult as the problem is, the potential exists for the U.S. to improve how it understands and is handling such conflicts in Iraq. In the long term, no society will harbor a group that continually harms its own most vulnerable. And whether an average Iraqi sees U.S. forces and NGOs as allies or not, the groups perpetrating suicide attacks don’t offer ways for Iraqis to help themselves. The U.S., I think, can.

Hafez, the Ambassador, and Ricks all agreed that the justifications for suicide terrorism, especially targeting fellow Iraqis and Muslims, are truly empty. The U.S. can help Iraqis become their own best allies through education and training programs aimed at sustainable development, and helping expose the truth of martyrdom – and the Ground Truth it creates for Iraqi families, children, and society.