Word: baghdad
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Prospects for a formal pact between Baghdad and Washington on the long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq dimmed in July, when U.S. officials originally hoped to ink a deal. A number of issues complicated negotiations on the agreement, which is meant to replace the existing U.N. mandate giving legal cover for U.S. troops in Iraq. In Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have struggled over questions such as immunity for U.S. troops and contractors and whether American forces would be allowed to arrest and detain Iraqi nationals. U.S. and Iraqi officials have repeatedly said a deal was near. Other reports...
Whether Sadr's apparent pressure move will work remains uncertain. But U.S. military officials are likely to take it seriously. The U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, has kept up a dialogue with key figures from Sadr's ranks, and U.S. officials in Baghdad have repeatedly spoken hopefully about Sadr's plans to transform his movement into more of a humanitarian organization. Even while Maliki's government clashed in the streets of southern Iraq and Baghdad with Sadr's fighters earlier this year, American officials did not call for Sadr's capture or destruction but were openly holding...
...disparity between U.S. spending and Iraqi spending suggests that leadership in Baghdad would rather see outside powers foot the bill for the country's rehabilitation while saving windfall oil profits. Signs of Iraq's slowness to rebuild are everywhere in Baghdad. Roughly 20% of the city is without proper sewage pipes. Published statistics say the Baghdad is getting roughly 11 hours of electricity a day on average, but many residents go days with only sporadic bursts of power. Iraqi officials say fixing just this problem could take up to 10 years. Chronic electricity shortages for another decade mean little energy...
...given day in Baghdad it's hard to envision a city on the rise amid the shattered buildings, fields of trash and pools of smelly greenish waste water baking under the sun in many neighborhoods. But a few urban planners in the Iraqi government are dreaming big nonetheless. On the drawing board are plans for overhaul and expansion of Baghdad's bridges, roads and sewage systems, plus ambitious commercial development. Planners are scouting sites around Baghdad to build a five-star hotel, an international fairground, a cultural center, a library, a park with a lake and fountains and an aquarium...
...Samarra's residents are quick to confirm that assessment, directly confronting the security forces with their frustration. On the market street near the shrine, civilians blame the Shi'ite-dominated government in Baghdad, and the police force it has sent to the city, for failing to provide jobs. "Unemployment is high. We apply for jobs with the police and they reject us," yelled one shopkeeper in a crowd of angry civilians - many of whom echoed his grievance. "How could you secure the town without the people of the town?" called another. "Each [commander] has his own people...