Alive In Baghdad

News & Politics

aliveinbaghdad.org Alive in Baghdad was formed to counter the sound-bite driven, 'Live From' news model. Through the work of a team of Americans and Iraqi correspondents on the ground, Alive in Baghdad shows the occupation through the voices of Iraqis. Alive in Baghdad brings testimonies from individual Iraqis, footage of daily life in Iraq, and short news segments from Iraq to you. (Author: Alive in Baghdad)

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Recent episodes from Alive In Baghdad

Liquor Shops Open For Business
Published: Mar 30, 09
As calm returns to Baghdad, liquor shops, once targets of Jihadists and Shi'a militias, have reopened their doors. Though some doubt their calling, they are doing brisk business in calm, but war-shattered Baghdad.
Us Withdrawing As Media Retreat From Iraq
Published: Mar 3, 09
Last week, President Barack Obama fulfilled one of his campaign promises to the US electorate when he laid out his public plan to have the US military withdraw from Iraq by 2010. While some have bristled at Obama's decision to leave 50,000 troops stationed in Iraq for support and advisory roles, the reaction from Iraqi citizens has been for the most part positive. Even the Mujahideen Central Command of Rafidain, an Iraqi resistance group based in Baghdad, released a statement warmly congratulati
Journalists In Danger Despite Drop In Censorship
Published: Feb 23, 09
Journalism in Iraq is a deadly business. The Committee to Protect Journalism, an international NGO focusing on dangers for journalists worldwide, has repeatedly ranked Iraq as one of the deadliest countries for journalists to work in. Rayat al-Arab, an Iraqi newspaper associated with the Movement of Arab Nationalists, is no exception to these dangerous conditions. In October 2006, Saed Mahdi Shlash, a journalist and administrator working for Rayat al-Arab, was murdered along with his wife. Gunme
Baghdad Hospitals Improve Slowly
Published: Feb 17, 09
Previously on Alive in Baghdad, our correspondents have documented theissues facing pharmacists and the distribution of medicine in Iraq.Following up on that, this week we examine the problems andopportunities for Iraqi doctors and hospital workers, as well as thepatients themselves. There have been significant gains in the healthcare situation thanks to the increasingly stable security environmentand several legislative efforts by the government, many problems withthe health care system remain.
Some Words From Al-sadr's Spokesman
Published: Feb 10, 09
The results of Iraq's 2009 provincial elections are in, and while the statistics are clear, the consequences are more difficult to discern. What can be noted for sure is that political parties who campaigned on a stronger central government and a unified Iraq, such as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Daa'wa party, prospered at the ballot box whereas parties who focused on religious and sectarian identities, such as the Iranian linked Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, known as ISCI, showed much de
Night Life Returns To Baghdad
Published: Feb 2, 09
What used to be a rare scene in war-torn Iraq is becoming quite common again: Families gather in lush parks after prayers and breakfast and stay until all hours of the night. Small children play, old men battle for supremacy in dominoes, and young men gathered around hot teas argue over politics - all possible due to Iraq's ever improving security situation. Before the American invasion in 2003, Baghdad's parks and public squares were known for their traditional games. Men would journey from all
Fake Pharmacies Plague Iraq
Published: Jan 27, 09
IRAQ, BAGHDAD - Tales of tainted merchandise, non-existent oversight, and government extortion may seem like headlines from sensationalist western media, but these are also just some of the problems facing pharmacists in Iraq today. Though the central government has taken steps to restore order to the pharmaceutical industry, a myriad of a problems remain for pharmacists, not to mention the patients themselves. Though it functioned effectively even through crushing UN sanctions, the toppling of
Pastry Shops Thriving In Iraq
Published: Jan 19, 09
Even through the darkest days of the invasion and civil war, Iraq's candy and pastry makers have endured it all. Some see the profession as just another trade to provide for their family, but many also see it as a creative outlet. Their traditional Zonood Al-Sit and Baqlava draw Iraqis from miles around just for a taste. Iraqi pastry chefs not only put a lot of care into their creations, but some spend years developing specific specialties. The more unique their dish, the more their fame, and fo
Ashura, A Sign Of The Times
Published: Jan 12, 09
The Day of Ashura, which commemorates the slaying of Hussein ibn Ali, is one of the holiest days in Shiite Islam. Each year, millions of Shi'a pilgrims gather at shrines in Iraq to mourn the loss of Imam Husayn, a hero of Islam and a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. Although in recent years the holiday has been heavily disrupted by violence, this year many Iraqis have noted a dramatic decrease in violence. With the exception of a suicide attack on Iranian pilgrims in Kadhamiya, Shi'a in Iraq we
Iraq's Free Press?
Published: Jan 6, 09
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad - Newspapers in Iraq have a long history during Iraq's various regimes and government changes. These changes left a strong impact on writing, journalism, and educating the Iraqi population. There were very few newspapers or magazines in the 40s and 50s, and the number of news journals during the government of Abdul Karim Qassem was not more than five. After the invasion in 2003, and the fall of Baghdad, more than 200 newspapers were published, some of the newspapers were da
After Saddam, Building Amarah
Published: Dec 29, 08
Iraq, Amarah - Deep in the southeast of Iraq along the border with Iran lies the Governorate of Maysan. Approximately 800,000 Iraqis live there, most followers of the Shi'ite Islamic sect. During the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s Maysan province was the site of some of the biggest battle fields. Because of the high Shi'ite population and their relation to Iran, the regime of Saddam Hussein viewed the people of Maysan as a threat. Saddam had the Ahwar, or marshlands, a major food source
Journalists Still At Risk In Iraq
Published: Dec 22, 08
Just over a year ago, Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi, a journalist and correspondent for Alive in Baghdad, received a knock at his door. It was just after 11:30 at night, outside Ali was greeted with an Iraqi National Guard convoy. Hearing gunshots, Ali's neighbors frantically tried to reach him by phone, to no avail. When his cousin Amar finally arrived a few hours later, Ali was dead, shot to death in his own living room. Horace Greeley once wrote that "journalism will kill you, but it will keep you
Mosques In Iraq's Civil War
Published: Dec 15, 08
VIDEO - Baghdad, Iraq - Al-Qa'eda used Islam as a way of drawing a wide base in Arab and Muslim countries, while in Iraq other militias manipulated local Imams and Muslim clerics. Both saw controlling mosques as a tactic for providing secure gathering points as well as a steady supply of new recruits. Many Imams chose not to go quietly along with Al-Qa'eda's and the other militia's plans, and they often suffered for it. Some were assassinated by Al-Qa'eda, who considered them non-believers or so
Ramadan Brings Optimism To Sadr City
Published: Dec 8, 08
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad/Sadr City – Ramadan is an important religious event for the Muslim community all over the world. In Iraq it is special too, people in Iraq consider it as a family occasion, and a time for the family to meet. One of the Iraqi traditions is to play a game called "Mahibs" after the Iftar, or breaking of the fast. The game is based on a hidden ring and the basic idea is to find this ring. Due to the security situation it became difficult to find this game due to the diffi
Still No Electricity Surge
Published: Dec 1, 08
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad – The electricity is the second greatest concern for the Iraqi people after security. Iraqis have suffered from a lack of electricity before the war and have been angry to see it continue after. The excuse most often given by Saddam's regime was the impact of the sanctions and the lack of spare parts. The new Iraqi government blames the security situation and the lack of funding for new electricity providers. Iraqi citizens have developed new ways to provide electrici