The Ground Truth Project works to connect the Washington policy-making community and concerned citizens with Iraqi professionals, aid workers, military personnel and others who have a firsthand perspective of the Iraq conflict. The Project will illuminate new strategies to support Iraq's peace and development.
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The Interviews
My Time in Iraq with USAID and America's Responsiblity to Protect our Iraqi Allies Interviews with Kirk Johnson: Parts 1 & 2
Kirk Johnson, a writer and Arabist, has worked and researched throughout the Middle East. As a Fulbright Scholar from 2002 to 2003, Kirk analyzed political Islamic “pulp” writings in Egypt. In the fall of 2005, he was appointed USAID’s first regional coordinator for reconstruction in Fallujah, Iraq. Since returning from Iraq, Kirk has advocated for a safe-haven for his former Iraqi colleagues — now refugees — and others who suffered because of their affiliation with the U.S. government. He holds a B.A. with honors in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. Kirk may be contacted directly at kwjohnson@gmail.com.
Providing Life Support for Iraq's Public Health Sector An Interview with Hala Al-Saraf
Hala Al-Saraf received her undergraduate degree from Iraq’s Mustansiriya University in 1988. She worked in Baghdad with various UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), from 1996-2005. In late 2005, Hala was accepted to the Fulbright Program and came to the U.S. to study public health policy at Columbia University, where she recently earned her master’s degree and initiated Project THINK. Hala returned to Iraq in May 2007, where she joined her family. However, she will be back in the U.S. this July for the University of Massachusetts conference Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq, which she helped plan.
Engaging Iraqis at the Local Level An interview with Eric Davis
Eric Davis is a professor of political science at Rutgers University in New Jersey and a member of the executive committee for Rutgers’ Center for Middle Eastern Studies. His work focuses on historical memory and democratization in the Middle East, as well as sectarian identities and democratization. He is the author of Memories of State: Politics, History and Collective Identity in Modern Iraq (University of California Press 2005). His next book, Taking Democracy Seriously in Iraq (Cambridge University Press), is scheduled for publication in 2007.
Closing the Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality An Interview with Lisa Schirch
Lisa Schirch is the Program Director of the 3D Security Initiative and an associate professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. A former Fulbright Fellow, Lisa has worked with communities and government leaders to build peace and security in Lebanon, Iraq, Taiwan, Ghana, and other countries. She is the author of 5 books on peacebuilding and conflict prevention including: Ritual and Symbol in Peacebuilding, Strategic Peacebuilding and Dialogue on Difficult Subjects, set for release April 2007.
Helping Displaced Families and Others Most in Need An interview with Khaldoon Ali
Khaldoon Ali, a doctor by training, established the Iraqi NGO Mercy Hands following the 2003 invasion. Created at a time when many international organizations were pulling out of Iraq, Khaldoun joined a group of committed humanitarian workers to reach out to Iraq’s most vulnerable people, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), children, the homeless and the urban poor. Khaldoun currently works with Mercy Hands’ staff of 100 dedicated employees and splits time between its Baghdad and Amman, Jordan offices.
Iraq's Hidden Refugee Crisis An Interview with Sean Garcia
Sean Garcia came to Refugees International in August 2006 to work in the advocacy department. He has spent most of his time traveling to locations that house refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). On these missions, Sean meets with United Nations officials, NGOs, local leaders and refugees themselves. Using what he learns, he then lobbies the U.S. government, the UN, and the European Union to address the crises and improve conditions for refugees and IDPs. In December 2006, Sean visited Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to survey the Iraqi refugee crisis.
The Impact of War on Iraq's Youth An interview with Ctp. Jonathan Powers
While working at an Iraqi orphanage during his tour of duty in 2003-2004, Cpt. Jonathan Powers developed a passion for Iraq's youth. Rather than put the war behind him, he continues to fight for the people of Iraq as a civilian. When Jon returned to the U.S., he founded War Kids Relief, a program that assists Iraqi youth by funding orphanages and youth centers to help keep kids off the streets and out of militias, criminal syndicates and insurgent groups.
Acclaimed cinematographer Laura Poitras studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and the New School. Her latest documentary, My Country, My Country, has won several prestigious awards, including the “Inspiration Award” at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Most recently, My Country received an Academy Award nomination for “Best Documentary,” and an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the same category. Her previous work includes, Flag Wars (2003), which received a Peabody Award and nominations in 2004 for an Independent Spirit Award and an Emmy Award.
Dr. Rashad Zaydan is pharmacist and mother of four. A native of Baghdad, she worked for Iraq’s national pharmacy from 1981 until the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003. In the chaotic aftermath of the invasion, she founded the Knowledge for the Iraqi Women Society to assist women and children in and around Baghdad and Fallujah, including families displaced by violence and military operations.
Dr. Nadje Al-Ali is a Senior Lecturer at University of Exeter (UK), where she specializes in women and gender issues in the Middle East, women's movements and feminism, transnational migration and war, and conflict and post-conflict reconstruction. She is currently working on a new book about Iraqi women in the Diaspora, which will be completed this fall and published by Zed Press in 2007.
DISCLAIMER: The EPIC Ground Truth Project and series of interviews are owned and published by the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC). The EPIC Ground Truth Project is not a movie, and it is in no way affiliated with the Focus Features’ film "The Ground Truth," its components, their agencies or production team.
Hala Al-Saraf received her undergraduate degree from Iraq’s Mustansiriya University in 1988. She worked in Baghdad with various UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), from 1996-2005. In late 2005, Hala was accepted to the Fulbright Program and came to the U.S. to study public health policy at Columbia University, where she recently earned her master’s degree and initiated 
Lisa Schirch is the Program Director of the 
Helping Displaced Families and Others Most in Need
Sean Garcia came to 
Acclaimed cinematographer Laura Poitras studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and the New School. Her latest documentary, My Country, My Country, has won several prestigious awards, including the “Inspiration Award” at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Most recently, My Country received an Academy Award nomination for “Best Documentary,” and an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the same category. Her previous work includes, Flag Wars (2003), which received a Peabody Award and nominations in 2004 for an Independent Spirit Award and an Emmy Award.
