Liberation Watch

2005-02-03T18:54:00.000Z

Here is a photo of the jubilant atmosphere on election day in Iraqi-Kurdistan. This photo was taken from inside a Hummvee. Notice the Kurdish national flags? These flags have a long history associated with Kurdish independence dating back to the late days of the Ottoman Empire.
Posted by herr_haaji

2005-01-31T15:24:00.000Z

Here's a 1970s era photo of some Peshmerga fighters. Like many Peshmerga, one of these gentlemen is now helping the coalition in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Posted by herr_haaji

A Schoolmate Reports From Kirkuk

2005-01-30T14:47:00.000Z

An old schoolmate, now an Army infantry officer, just sent me this message. He's been in Kirkuk for nearly a year now, and doesn't really know when he's coming home. One thing seems apparent; any homesickness has likely given way to swelling pride at what he sees that he and his comrades have helped achieve in today's election.

"It's truly amazing... we've been slugging it out with the insurgents for about three days now... until today. People, despite hearing explosions nearly constantly for 3 days, came out in droves. What's more...women came out to vote like you would never imagine. There is such a sense of joy and hope prevailing It'll bring tears to your eyes. I don't think I fathomed the oppression they suffered until today. "

And perhaps more refreshing (in the long term discussion of exit strategy for the coalition) is his report on the recent success of the Iraqi Security Forces.

"The ISF have kicked ass.... I say again, really stomped the shit out of the insurgents! Every five minutes on the radio we've been getting reports that the police caught a guy with a suicide vest, or RPG or something else. The peace we enjoyed today would not have been possible without them. They really earned their money (it didn't look good at first- they lost 3 cops to snipers in the first day of our joint election ops)."

A day to remember

2005-01-30T14:25:00.000Z

No word back from my Iraqi friend described in the previous post; he's probably too busy VOTING today.

There was an outstanding piece in today's NYTimes Magazine about the persistent optimism of the Iraqis throughout all aspects of the sometimes self-serving debate over Iraq. You can read it here. Another great one depicting the early, surprising success of higher-than-expected voter turn out can be found here.

In the largely Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, many Iraqis, particularly followers of Ayatollah Sistani, said they would brave bombs and gunfire to cast a ballot.

"I voted under Saddam - it was bogus - and now I am ready for a real election," said Mohsin Abdul Ruda, a 50-year-old shopkeeper, who lives down the street from a girls' school that will serve as his neighborhood's polling place. "Everyone in the neighborhood is going to vote."

It's early now; the polls are closing in Iraq and the remarkable nature of this day in Iraqi history is just beginning to be studied. Whatever one's view on the past 21 months, none can deny that there is one overarching positive in this simple act of casting a ballot.

Message from an Iraqi friend in Baghdad

2005-01-25T22:08:00.000Z

I was relieved to get an email from a Iraqi friend who worked as a translator for over a year with our unit in Iraq. This individual accompanied our troopers on countless patrols and task force level missions in the worst sections of Baghad, often without body armor, making 7 dollars a day. I won't post his name because there remains a small but very real threat for his safety should anti-Iraqi forces learn of his continuing service in the name of his country. I've not altered any of my friend's email; here are a few of the highlights. My comments follow in italics.

"this is about my situation about the country,people happy about election ,but they escare from the security situation and there is some border countries try to embarse america buy make it fail in iraq ,all people know that and we knew about thes countries specialy (syria and iran)and trust me we allways listining to prisdent bush from start when he say iraq is the first field to fight the terrist,from this time we knew that we have other war difrent than ending regem war."

In short, people want to vote, but the threat of car bombings and violence against those participating in progressive civic actions (such as voting) continue to fear for their safety. He also mentions the distinction between the invasion/regime change war and the occupation/counterinsurgency battles that Iraqis came to know after President Bush called Iraq the "first field to fight the terrist".

"i have to take the information from any patient come in even if its american or colation forces in addition to translate between the nurse ,doctars and iraqi people ,i khnow its hard job and its not in my field ,because you know iam electrical eng.but the reason is is not safe to doing more patrols with americans or iraqi national guards,other reason the terrisom like to kill iraqi because its easy."

On his current work as a translator: He is understabdably glad to be inside the relative safety of the Green Zone rather than doing more patrols with US troops or Iraqi National Guard where "terrisom like to kill iraqi because its easy." While safer, the entrance to the Green Zone has been a popular target in car bombings which have killed hundreds over the past 20 months. This is the reality: There are genuinely anti-Iraqi forces killing the same Iraqi people that have been f***** over during a century of imperialistic exploitation, coups, ethnic cleansing, and painful occupation.

"about internet coffe shops ,yes we have alod of it now,in addition to that we have cards(you can buy it from market) its pay cards for internet so you can use internet from your home just like what i do wright now."

I'd asked him about access to the Internet in an earlier email. It sounds like access is not uncommon at home, which is where he sent this message. Two years ago, IM services like Yahoo!IM were prohibited; copies of the program were smuggled in from Jordan. Despite the rampant violence, there are some positives amid the painful transition.

Can you imagine being this 20-something translator, going from living in one of the most censored, repressive regimes in the world to working inside the palace grounds of your nation's former tyrant? Critics can say what they will about the US invasion of Iraq (I've done my share of griping), but no one can discount the profound and somtimes positive changes that Iraqis like my friend in the Green Zone have experienced since the fall of Saddam's regime nearly 2 years ago.

You can read more about ICTs in Iraq in this post, which contains a link to a research paper on prospects for ICT growth in Iraq.

NPR : Basra Awaits Iraqi Elections

2005-01-22T21:55:00.000Z

NPR : Basra Awaits Iraqi Elections

NPR's Deborah Amos is reporting that Basrans are eager to see a secular technocratic government emerge from the January 30 2005 elections of a national assembly. This may come as asurprise to some since there has been much speculation over the influence fundamentist Iranian Shiite parties will hold among Iraqi Shiites.

She says a distinction is clear among Iraqi shiites who, unlike some Iranian Shiite political leaders, prefer a move to a secular national government.

Deborah also gets extra points for saying what so few journalists reporting from Iraq will ever be heard saying; she has received only reports from the Iraqi population at large while most of her work "in sector" is done under the protection of British troops. This is something you'll almost never hear from most journalists who prefer to present the image of brave reporting from the front lines of a brutal insurgency, when in actuality, they are safely inside their hotel prison at, for example, the Palestine or Sheraton hotels overlooking Baghdad's Firdos square.

Hit squads considered for Iraq

2005-01-12T21:15:00.000Z

Hit squads considered for Iraq

I came across this article doing a keyword search for Iraq + Exit Strategy. Some sources say that the Interim Iraqi PM, Iyad Allawi, is among the strongest proponents of this latest counter-insurgency strategy, which some are calling the "Salvador Option."

The Secretary of Defense apparently denies the discussion of a Salvador Option, but this latest speculation over just such a strategy comes at a peculiar time when retired General Gary Luck was recently dispatched to Iraq on an open ended mission to review current operations.

Iraq's digital divide, neocolonialism, or development gap

2004-12-08T03:41:00.000Z

Whatever your label for what plagues the Middle East, there is a desperate need for more research and funding for pilot projects in ICT deployment in not only Iraq, but most of the Middle East. For more, just read the 2003 Arab Human Development Report; there is one produced annually by leading Arabic scholars. Also, here is the abstract to my JOMC 223 final, for which I wrote about, surprise: ICTs in Iraq!

Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in April 2003, access to diverse sources of information has significantly increased. In a span of three weeks, Iraqis witnessed the dethroning of their dictator. Through his regime’s demise, Iraq was transformed from one of the most insular backwaters of censorship and oppression to a land of mayhem and brigandry, albeit one where access to information and freedom of expression are virtually unregulated by the government. Gone are the days of government minders and shameless information ministers, but in their place has developed an atmosphere of chaotic jockeying for political clout as the national political body takes form. This paper seeks to emphasize the unprecedented circumstances under which the new Iraqi government, its people, and their U.S. occupiers find themselves. I argue that despite countless episodes of anarchic tragedy, the physical progress being made in Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) appears to be progressing at a pace relatively better than other aspects of the nation’s reconstruction. I detail “hard” areas of the ICT infrastructure reconstruction where progress is proceeding on a rapid, relatively massive scale, as well as areas of “soft” ICT development where Iraq, like many other emerging nations, will require thoughtful investment.

Read my essay here.

Evaluating Sources (Revisited)

2004-12-07T04:39:00.000Z

When evaluating sources for this blog, sometimes I assume risk based on having no prior context from which to assess credibility. However, in the case of national news services/papers, I'd expect the press to question remarks like this recent one by public figures that have been so "off the mark" in commenting on matters of severe national importance.

SecDef today in NYT:

"Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that he expected American troops to withdraw from Iraq within four years, but he cautioned that any final decision hinged on the progress that Iraq's civilian government and security forces make by then."

Riiiiiight.

SecDef et al. (2+ years ago):

CQ.com reported in September 2002 (man, those were the days!!):

"Published estimates of the number of U.S. personnel that would be needed to defeat Iraq range from 70,000 to 250,000. According to a projection authored by retired Army Col. Scott R. Feil, about 75,000 U.S. troops would have to remain in or near Iraq for up to a year after the war ended to preserve order."

cited: Pat Towell, "Rumsfeld Says Troop Strength Is Sufficient To Conduct Military Operations in Iraq," CQ Weekly 60, no. 36, http://www.ebsco.com/home/default.asp (accessed 6 December, 2004).

In case you glossed over my links, let me summarize:

SecDef et al.'s prediction: 75,000 troops for 1-year; Reality: 150,000 troops today w/predictions of a 10-year occupation.

Who's credible?

I lied

2004-11-16T15:31:00.000Z

Okay, I couldn't leave the FJ shooting alone. Notice who was there to capture the incriminating footage: Kevin Sites, embed extraordinaire.

Salam Aleikum

2004-11-16T15:09:00.000Z

I could spend this first-in-many-days post pointing out what on earth could have prompted the Colin Powell resignation or hand wringing over the mess in FJ; but one's obvious, the other upsetting. For now, here is something new and promising.

EOTO Response: War for The Airwaves

2004-11-08T23:53:00.000Z

Dean Smith’s blog “Counterframe” addresses current media ownership issues. In his EOTO essay, Dean presents readers with a concise review of “media ownership rules and why they matter.”

If you follow Dean’s blog for just a few days, you’ll soon understand that if you never noticed the ongoing “war for the airwaves”, that its unnoticed passing was largely due to the media’s failure to execute its public-service duty (to fairly and accurately inform the public); arguably one of the most vital functions in self-governing, democratic nations.

Unlike the other EOTO topics reviewed for the JOMC223 class, Dean posted his EOTO essay, concerns, and resources online; linked to, but off his blog. Dean’s essay is the summation of his blog’s recent editorial line; that corporate consolidation of media outlets under mega-companies like Clear Channel and Viacom has destroyed the media’s allegiance to serving the public interest in exchange for a devotion to maximizing profits.

How does Dean validate these concerns? Well, aside from just about every post on his blog over the past two months, just take the “Media Tracker” test included in the sidebar of his essay to see how your local media withered during the war for the airwaves.

EOTO Response: Cell Yell

2004-11-08T21:15:00.000Z

Wes Anthony identified a bothersome habit that most cell phone users have been guilty of committing at one time or another. “Cell Yell” is the term he used to describe cell phone talkers’ habit of talking into cell phones far too loudly, usually within earshot of strangers who could care less about the cell yellers’ conversation. Today Cell Yell can be heard in places once considered private or low key, like public restrooms and bookstores.

Wes suggested three methods of curbing episodes of Cell Yell: generally more thoughtful courteousness in cell phone usage; designated no-cell phone zones in public places; and adoption of larger cell phone handsets. I’ve seen the benefits of the last recommendation after purchasing a “flip phone”, which seems to fit my head better than a miniscule no-flip, bar-style phone. With greater publicity, I think that a national movement to improve cell phone user manners would take hold. However, as I’ve heard family members bemoan restaurant and bar smoking bans in recent years, I think that no-cell phone zones will be a tougher sell.

EOTO Response: Technology-led Economic Development in NC

2004-11-04T02:41:00.000Z

Jennifer, another classmate in JOMC 223, researched technology-led economic development for her EOTO research assignment. A native of North Carolina, her topic has specific relevance to her home state which has seen many of its textile mills close in recent years as global trade restrictions have been relaxed. Her argument, that technology-led economic development is perhaps the best hope for regenerating economic vitality in NC areas recently affected by massive job loss, is well supported throughout her EOTO postings.

The list of concerns expressed in her presentation enumerates many risks that could materialize should NC’s business and political leadership not emphasize the growth of technology-centric economic development. These risks include further job loss, increased dependence, ruined self esteem as a result of job loss, and missed economic development opportunities.

The thing I enjoyed most about Jennifer’s research was the wealth of links to NC’s various e-initiatives Web sites and clips of things that state and national leaders have said about the importance of e-/tech growth. As an NC resident I had no idea that e-NC’s internet access initiative was considered a model program among others nationwide.

Jennifer’s recommendations about ways to ensure North Carolina positions itself for sustainable future economic growth include focusing on new technologies for new job opportunities (Grid Computing); expanding community technology hubs across the state; and sustaining the rapid growth of internet access in areas across the state where it is needed most.

EOTO Response: Nonprofits and the Digital Divide

2004-11-03T20:27:00.000Z

Michelle’s Freedom Forum is a blog that raises awareness about issues faced by LGBT individuals serving in the US Armed Forces under the current “don’t ask-don’t tell” anti-homosexual policy. As the executive director of Operation Freedom, a nonprofit organization that addresses the same issues, Michelle is definitely qualified to speak to the challenges faced by her own and other nascent nonprofit organizations.

Michelle’s choice for her Each One Teach One project highlights issues confronting nonprofit organizations, particularly smaller upstarts with relatively limited budgets, as they try to surmount the digital divide and leverage the benefits of ICT to address their respective goals.

The challenges faced by individuals and groups struggling to bridge the digital divide frequently overlap. Like minority and other underrepresented groups, nonprofits can find themselves on the disconnected side of the divide due to lack of funding for ICT investment as well as a lack of adequate training and “household” ICT knowledge.

For nonprofits to overcome these limitations Michelle listed three feasible, creative solutions. The first two solutions stress the importance of networking, both online (through blogging and other economical means) and face-to-face, with other organizations. These are relatively obvious, but tried and true; and coming from Michelle’s first-hand knowledge, I’d say they’re valuable pearls of wisdom. I found the third solution to be creative and resourceful: calling on high school and college students, many of whom are often required to complete community service hours or project, to assist the small nonprofits in their ICT development needs. Since increasing numbers of today’s college and high school students graduate with highly developed computer and technical skills, they’re an obvious resource. A truly resourceful cycle of support; nonprofit organization receives not-for-profit assistance in overcoming challenges posed by the digital divide. As Michelle puts it, “fulfilling mutual needs.”

EOTO Response: Online Access = Smarter Kids?

2004-11-03T15:28:00.000Z

My classmate Julie has spent the past few weeks collecting information to post on her blog about children’s educational/play (online) games. Her initial research, described through regular posts, has uncovered considerably vast online sources of educational games for grade school- aged children.

As an extension of her blog’s topic, she broadened her examination of what’s available in online education and for our Each One Teach One (EOTO) project, has provided analysis of whether online educational access in that age group results in smarter, more educated children. Her findings point to an answer of “yes, but. . .”, provided certain conditions exist. Like most efforts to broaden ICT use in virtually any social sector, there are challenges, commonly referred to within some context of the “digital divide” metaphor. As part of the EOTO project, Julie listed her five biggest concerns about the implementation of online technology in America’s classrooms.

Of these, the two that I find most critical to careful implementation of ICT were: 1) The internet will only replace traditional methods of student research and not provide opportunities and, if it becomes a greater reality, exploratory learning will be one-dimensional rather than enhance off-line experiences. 2) Communities will rely too heavily on government funds to bridge the digital divide and create educational content.

The first of these fears speaks to an oft heard warning about bringing technology to regions across the digital divide. Online access is not a panacea, but can offer considerable benefits when implemented with adequate support, training, and when legitimate needs exist. That is, that the benefits of ICT, specifically online content access, risks not be utilized in ways that fully leverage its potential for improving (in this case) the grade school students’ educational experiences. Julie provides some figures that validate these concerns: Teachers are not discovering, or (possibly) seeking out ways, receiving training (most likely?) that fully integrate online course curriculum materials into their lessons, with 6% using the internet as a primary source for core-curriculum materials, while a significant percentage (92%) access online materials as a secondary source. This 6% primary-material access rate is too low and will likely be seen as one reason that students are not fully utilizing the internet for more in-depth learning functions; their teachers aren’t trained, resourced, or mentored to adequately use ICT.

For her second fear, Julie assembled a comprehensive list of links that show there are means beyond basic government assistance to bring adequate utilization of ICT into America’s classrooms. Corporations like HP and Intel obviously have an interest in seeing their markets grow through philanthropic-public relations outreach grants and on-site training. And while the temptation to criticize this “invasion” of corporations into America’s classrooms is considerable and even fashionable these days, the reality of American public school budgets suggests that a measured approach using corporate outreach and government funding is feasible, and the best option at this time. One source Julie identified on a PBS-affiliated website quoted one educator’s fears about the temptation to cut other programs (Arts, humanities, Phys. Ed) in exchange for publicly funded ICT implementation. With corporate assistance, struggling school districts could still keep the time-tested curriculum of the aforementioned programs while enjoying the benefits of online learning.

Of course no discussion of the importation of internet access into America’s classrooms would be complete without adequate discussion of what social problem probably most underscores why some ICT programs stall: the Digital Divide. Julie provides three solutions that hinge on 1) Government assistance in planning; development and implementation where she cites the UK’s highly successful National Grid for Learning portal. 2) More effective use of our public facilities that are already online; existing online access points that may go unused seasonally (public schools) could be opened for training and grassroots online outreach purposes. 3) Corporate assistance through companies like Cisco, HP, and Intel’s PR/philanthropic educational grants

What now??

2004-10-29T18:16:00.000Z

Some recommendations for successful ICT development in Iraq:

1. Coalition forces and new Iraqi government must either implement or continue to exercise preferential hiring and contracting practices that favor Iraqis. As indicated in my posts detailing personal acquaintances (Iraqi) who possess at least an entry-level degree of proficiency, there exists a base of skilled technical workers eager for work in the rebuilding of their country’s ITC structure.

2. With one of the world’s highest birth rates, countries like Iraq must ensure that their youth are exposed to digital communications technology and that a basic degree of competence is demonstrable by the completion of primary education. Given current security concerns inside Iraq, this is not happening, but companies like Cisco and HP are fielding programs that could one day find their way into Iraq’s education system and sponsor such necessary instruction. Iraqi, UN, and neighboring (regional) outfits could share a large portion of this task, but a synergistic cooperation between private and NGO/public organizations is more likely.

3. Censorship devices, if implemented, must be owned and operated at the user level. Government monitoring and filtering of internet content will slow the ability of Iraqi citizens to truly join the “Global Village” via economical means of communication (email) and to enjoy consequent social, political, and commercial benefits.

EOTO useful sources

2004-10-29T17:23:00.000Z

The following, in no particular order, is a list of sources for more information about ICT's deployment into Iraq and other disconnected areas. I tried to offer a mix that includes private industry, government programs, and online journals.

1. http://www.hp.com/e-inclusion/en/index.html

Hewlett Packard’s e-inclusion Web site outlines the fundamentals of its e-inclusion program. This is a worthwhile site for understanding how large private/corporate interests view the growth of ICT in regions of lagging development. Cisco has a similar program.

2. “The Internet in the Middle East and North Africa: Free Expression and Censorship.” Human Rights Watch. http://hrw.org/advocacy/internet/mena/. (October 26 2004).

Human Rights Watch’s findings on methods by which governments in the Middle East and N. Africa continue to suppress the information awareness of their population through cybercensorship and other measures. Unique to this site are its technical descriptions of how some governments censor information.

3. Ghashghai, Elham and Lewis, Rosalind. “Issues Affecting Internet Use in Afghanistan and Developing Countries in the Middle East.” The Rand Corporation. http://www.rand.org/publications/IP/IP231/ (October 28, 2004).

The authors provide an insightful account of issues affecting those countries on the undeveloped side of the “digital divide.” Although Afghanistan is technically a “silk road” country rather than a Middle Eastern one, both regions share similar cultural and political obstacles to ICT adoption.

4. “Arab Information Project.” Georgetown University. http://www.georgetown.edu/research/arabtech/ (October 24, 2004)

A somewhat dated, though useful portal to other sources of information relating to the Arab world’s arrival, or lack thereof, at the “global village”.

5. McLaughlin, Sean W. “The use of the Internet for political action by non-state dissident actors in the Middle East.” First Monday. Vol. 8, no. 11-November 3rd 2003. http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_11/mclaughlin/ (October 24, 2004).

This is a relevant paper because it explores ways that terrorist groups have utilized ICT, primarily the internet, to coordinate non-state resistance movements.

6. “The Iraq Project and Contracting Office.” http://www.rebuilding-iraq.net/. (October 28, 2004).

By visiting this site you can learn more about how and to whom Iraq reconstruction contracts are awarded. I tried calling a few of the telecommunications and ICT-focused companies listed on the roster of companies awarded contracts in Iraq. Some had suspended operations as the risks of working in Iraq are currently unacceptable. Spend a few minutes reading the goals and accomplishments of the organization that coordinates contracting in Iraqi reconstruction projects using the $18.4 billion dollars of US taxpayer dollars.

Signal Sensibility

2004-10-28T19:30:00.000Z

Iraq will fail to experience telecommunications modernization and improvements in digital literacy that are tailored to meet the communication needs in a manner that is most favorable to the Iraqi people.

“The battle for Iraq is not over oil,” said one Defense Department official involved in communications. “It’s over bandwidth.”

The risk here is that internet development in Iraq will take on the look of some of the more criticized reconstruction and employment initiatives launched by the now defunct Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). After the collapse of Baghdad in April 2003, foreign contractors (virtually all American) were poised to tap into the virtually bottomless pool of American reconstruction project funds. The rush to secure contracts and partake of the American post-war largesse has led to numerous and controversial allegations of instances where what was best for Iraq in terms of long-term sustainable technical, economic, and political reforms took a back seat to cronyism and biased contract awards of corporate greed. Internet diffusion, if it is to increase at levels appropriate to Iraqis’ needs and their readiness for its benefits, cannot afford to be co-opted in the same manner as nearly happened in cellular service contracts.

One case in particular illustrates these concerns: debate over what cellular format, and thus, what mobile telephone providers, would be awarded CPA contracts to install cellular networks throughout Iraq. In the summer of 2003, coordination for cellular contracting was underway and it looked like the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) signal format, already in use by all of Iraq’s neighbors and over one billion people worldwide, would be authorized in CPA telecommunications licensing. As a result, American communications heavyweight Qualcomm’s CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) signal, which is incompatible with GSM, would realize none of the post-war reconstruction contracts. Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), benefactor of Qualcomm’s campaign donations (his 12th largest donor),was feeling the pressure of the company’s discontent at its exclusion from CPA contracts. Weeks of deceitful contract maneuvering nearly won Qualcomm a portion of the CPA’s final cellular phone licensing and funding under the guise of a “first responder” emergency communications system. In the end, these misdeeds were discovered and CDMA fell completely out of contention. Fortunately for Iraqis, three GSM-based cellular providers were awarded contracts in October 2003. Because of its track record, near-ubiquity, and cost effectiveness, GSM was the clear choice.

Though there are proven advantages to CDMA, the far more widespread use of GSM, its open-source (free) development and lower installation and operating costs have resulted in a cheaper, though still reliable and totally adequate cellular format for the people of Iraq. I had the chance from March 2004 until I left Iraq in July to use the central Iraq provider Iraqna’s (of Orascom of Egypt) mobile phone services. Our soldiers purchased Iraqna's Nokia handsets on the local economy for less than $200 US. For a 20 dollar scratch card, I could call my parents in North Carolina and talk for nearly an hour. Contrast this cost with the $2 US/per-minute I paid to call home on the Thuraya mobile satellite phones until that point. The savings to Iraqis are obvious and vital.

2004-10-28T19:28:00.000Z

Picture of Nadam M. Salil (far right), myself (center) and friend. Nadam is an extremely talented, tireless electrical engineer, mentioned in the last post. His technical prowess benefitted our entire battalion in fixing generators, air conditioners, and "residential" lighting. Rusafa District; Baghdad, Iraq, January 2004
Posted by Drew

Equal Opportunity in ICT Projects

2004-10-28T19:02:00.000Z

Corporate greed will result in non-Iraqi ownership of ICT reconstruction projects.

The aforementioned CDMA vs. GSM cell phone signal war is related to this concern (see next post). At the conclusion of that controversy, reasonable heads had prevailed and three firms located throughout the Middle East were awarded the contracts. The Iraqis won out because these contracts brought investment and a service provided by firms that although foreign, were at least Arab and therefore culturally far more similar to their customer base. Had the contracts been awarded to US or even European-based firms, I think it would have been far later than March 2004 (services were launched in February 2004) before I could purchase Iraqna-brand handsets and scratch cards from local Iraqis. Given the regularly broadcast of decapitations of personnel working for the “infidels”, the prospect of selling a US firm’s (Qualcomm’s CDMA) proprietary system sounds highly unappealing.

If the internet and the information freedom it encourages can be expected to flourish, Iraq will need a base of tech-savvy, forward thinking Iraqis who see in the increased use of the internet a burgeoning technology economy and a chance at business ownership. Currently there are hundreds, if not thousands of well-trained, highly motivated computer entrepreneurs (resellers, network engineers, VSAT installation experts, etc.) in the cities. Baghdad has a distinctively tech-focused business area inside its Karradah district (near the Baghdad Technology University) where computer vendors sell virtually all but the very latest PC products and digital devices. I purchased a 1 -gigabyte USB-“flash” drive for roughly $200 last spring and have yet to encounter a drive that rivals its capacity stateside. When my printer broke, Abdullah, one of our interpreters, surveyed the broken device and performed some troubleshooting before declaring, “the ABC card; it must be replaced!” A week later Abdullah returned with my printer fully repaired for $50 US.

My interpreter and other Iraqis’ unexpected technical aptitudes aside, there are factors that make the growth of a healthy tech economy of, by and for Iraqis quite difficult. Limiting factors related to the country’s continued instability make nationwide domestic-based entrepreneurial investment (a computer franchise, for instance), a true gamble for the average impoverished tech upstart.

Supply convoys are regularly attacked and their contents pillaged. Unless the local businessman is willing to spend his meager capital on transportation security costs, reliably finding parts often means risking his own life on a parts-run to Jordan or some other more stable neighbor. As US led reconstruction initiatives progress, these local vendors and specialists are excluded from appropriate subcontracts because they are unable to regularly provide the required goods or services as efficiently as large multinationals. Multinational corporations have the means to safeguard their convoys; they can afford the standard 30% overhead cost of security. Additionally there is the often heard excuse over security concerns and costs in vetting potential workers; “better to import labor from the Philippines and Turkey than risk employing the locals” is the mindset of many project planners.

As my story about Abdullah illustrates, this clearly does not indicate that Iraq lacks a talented set of native engineers and technicians capable of contributing to the rehabilitation and growth of their nascent ICT sectors. Another “war story”: Our superb electrician, Nadam M. Salil, received his masters in Electrical Engineering while studying in Eastern Germany during the early 1980s at the Iraqi government’s expense. Working on everything from our generators to our air conditioners (he had been an instructor at a local university), it seemed Nadam could fix anything. “No problem, I will make it!” he often exclaimed.

The new Iraq MUST find meaningful employment for these capable, deserving people. Thanks to Nadam and a list of many other Iraqis, we stayed cool and had power for our computers, lights, and basic essentials, but I’d rather have seen him fully applying his education on a national reconstruction project, earning far more than the $5-7/day we could pay him. Kellog Brown and Root employees imported from the Phillipines and Sri Lanka earned $650US/month (the ones I spoke to) scrubbing pots and pans at the major dining facilities throughout Iraq.
There is a very real need for a form of “affirmative action” in hiring, staffing, and contracting to ensure Iraqis are first in consideration and that they are accurately represented in all reconstruction projects. In future projects to wire the country for the Web, coalition and Iraqi government contracts must utilize these local skill sets.

Alternative: How widespread in Iraq is the technological skill required to rig Improvised Explosive Devices to command detonate via a cellular telephone? I dare say that for every engineer like Nadam left unemployed, neglected, and excluded from his country’s reconstruction projects, the technical know-how for increasingly sophisticated attacks becomes evermore accessible and likely.

State Cybercensorship

2004-10-28T18:47:00.000Z

Repressive state control of media will thwart potential for liberal/progressive political improvements.

Middle Eastern governments have a record of tightly controlling the amount of information available to their public. News broadcasts in Saudi Arabia, for example, are compelled to devote large portions of their broadcasts to covering the royal family’s activities of the day over a background of regal-sounding inspirational music. “Mutaween” religious police enforce censorship by cutting or blacking out scantily clad models or intimate spreads of westerners in magazines. Some have even called the Saudi broadcast networks the “Kings Network” due to accounts of sudden programming changes after King Fahd’s personal calls to the networks. While a relatively harmless example, it illustrates the tight grip that regimes in the area continue to hold over information.

Under Saddam Hussein, satellite television was forbidden. Penalties for possessing a dish/receiver were severe. Likewise, his regime’s control over internet access was also severe. The usual assortment of censorship techniques included prohibitions against Instant Messaging. But that didn’t stop some Iraqis from finding a way to acquire the Yahoo Instant Messenger (freely downloaded in most countries, but prohibited by Saddam). Today they’re legal and many Iraqis use IM services such as Yahoo! to communicate with distant relatives, often via the service's voice over IM chat feature. Changes are occurring. Satellite television is growing rapidly in use across the region, and in many Middle Eastern States is bypassing state-controls on television content. One indicator of Iraqis’ desire to access global sources information is the popular VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal)-based internet connection.

Based on my experiences using the internet while in Baghdad, it’s clear that whatever steps might be taken to restrict information in Iraq will have to contend with the challenges posed by the widespread use of VSAT internet connections. Shortly after settling into our Forward Operations Base near Mustansiriyah Square, our unit’s leadership used funds to erect an internet café for the soldiers of our battalion. First installing a VSAT connection, local Iraqi computer techs were able to connect 15 or more computers to the internet. Fees to surf the web were $2 US/hour. Many of our soldiers realized the same benefits as Iraqis through voice-chat over Yahoo! IM rather than spending more than $1 US/minute on the satellite phones (also provided by Iraqis). These highly portable systems can bring internet access and services like VOIM (Voice Over Instant Messenger) to the most remote of locations, provided there is a reliable source of electricity. There may be some way that a future Iraqi government could restrict access to sites and services that it deems harmful to its own message, but I could find no proven techniques (other than the obvious of an outright ban on VSATs) throughout my research.

Global Reach=Global Recruiting=Global Risks

2004-10-28T18:34:00.000Z

Religious insurgent factions will further extremist, reactionary insurgency movements through the use of online and digital communications.

Today in Iraq there are signs of various radical fringe movements, some native and some foreign, intent on installing radical Islamist theocracies throughout the region. Calling forth the rage among scores of unemployed, poorly educated Iraqis in places like Fallujah and Sadr City, the extreme ideology has found a fertile bed of acceptance among many frustrated by their country’s occupation. Examples of these movements include the extreme Wahhabism as practiced by Osama Bin Laden, as well as the native Shiite “Mahdi Army” of Moqtada al-Sadr, which has repeatedly clashed with coalition forces throughout Baghdad and Southern Iraq. Reports indicate that today Fallujah is ruled by a “Taliban-style” theocracy where personal liberties are violently oppressed. Bombings of liquor stores, attacks on women not wearing traditional Islamic dress, and the assassination of anyone suspected of cooperating with “infidels” (read: US/Coalition forces) are just some of the tactics employed by groups to intimidate Iraqi citizens.

Not all of these groups have demonstrated a propensity to use the internet to achieve their goals. Sadr’s Mahdi Army, largely composed of the Shiite poor, is probably the least likely to incorporate the Web into its operations. His base is largely the poorest and historically least priviledged in Iraq; who would his audience be?

Others groups however, are reaching out to recruits and using the internet as an “information operation”. On October 23, 2004, The New York Times reported that European countries believe a new generation of disaffected Muslims living in Europe is attracted to the US war in Iraq. Their fear is that these young men travel to Iraq, receive training from insurgent groups and gain experience fighting in the insurgency. Then, say the European officials, they are likely to return home with their veins coursing with fundamentalist hatred and possessing a new terrorist repertoire.

“One senior European intelligence official said there was evidence that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant believed to be operating in Falluja, has established a sophisticated network that has helped recruit nearly 1,000 young men from the Middle East and Europe.” The New York Times, October 23, 2004.

This concern has already been realized. While insurgency networking via the internet inside Iraq to coordinate internal resistance is not as widely known or reported, the growing use of the internet for external recruitment and coordination is indeed happening. The degree to which this occurs on a domestic level in Iraq will largely hinge on how quickly the US forces and new Iraqi Government are able to return some degree of stability and security to the Iraqi citizenry while destroying those elements responsible for this and other forms of furthering the stubborn insurgency.

Risks of a Reactionary Reaction to ICT

2004-10-28T18:28:00.000Z

Precisely the kind of social change and political freedoms that encourages the spread of information communications technology will catalyze reactionary cultural forces to clamp down and further retard the progress of liberal (secular) reforms within Iraq’s society.

Many things must occur before this is a legitimate concern, however it bears mentioning. The key word is reactionary. Perhaps I should have phrased this concern differently because of Iraq’s rather unique position as a relatively secular/non-theocracy among its more pious neighbors. This is one case where Iraq exists in a rather progressive position; women have been able to vote and receive an education for years (yes, even under Saddam), and Baghdad was a famous “watering-hole” among adventurous Kuwaitis (poor folks, living in a “dry-country”) attracted to the city’s readily available alcohol and licentious nightlife. Again, focus on reactionary cultural impulses; they’re resistant to the relatively liberal status quo and would be more so towards broadening individual liberties.
The promise of improved government transparency, universal individual liberties, and other democratic ideals could incite the rise of an Iraqi analogue of Saudi Arabia’s “Mutaween” fiercely pious police. Such forces may not be officially sanctioned by the state, though that’s hardly an impediment to their development; witness the difficulties faced by the nascent security forces in tribal backwaters like Fallujah. Enclaves of resistance, which could exist years after the promised elections this January, may benefit from the networking capabilities of online communications as other terrorist groups have demonstrated in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Each One Teach One: ICT in Iraq

2004-10-28T17:40:00.000Z

Three decades of war, international sanctions, looting, and government neglect have left the people of Iraq with a telecommunications infrastructure that lags far behind other countries, even among other Middle Eastern states, itself one of the disconnected regions of the world. Leaders situated on the developed cliff of the “digital divide” must realize that the rehabilitation, modernization, and growth of Iraq’s telecom and internet infrastructure is a key component in achieving comprehensive social, political, and economic recovery. Iraq’s current Telecommunications Minister, Haidar al-Ebadi, hopes to make phone services (terrestrial) available to ten percent of Iraq’s population no later than March 2005. A goal of ten percent may sound modest, but it indicates the current conditions of Iraq’s communications infrastructure. Predictably, figures of internet access are far lower with less than one percent of Iraqis online. If Iraq were to achieve a 10 percent internet access rate by the spring of 2005, it would lead the Arab world and lag behind only Israel (27 percent household access) in rates of internet usage. This kind of growth in a region rampant with governments hesitant to encourage the open flow of information would be unprecedented, but it’s not impossible.

One problem emerges when analyzing the case facing Iraqis and their disconnection from the internet; a dearth of recent data. Information collected by the International Telecommunications Union portrays a country of peerless disconnect where among a population of over 24 million, the Iraqi Telecommunications Ministry reported (2001) there were 12,500 internet users within the country. Also worthy of note is that during that same year, the Iraqi Telecommunications Ministry and the CIA both reported the absence of Iraq’s last Internet host, which apparently succumbed sometime during 2001. Aside from an unexplained, though significant statistical spike in internet users (2002) up to 25,000 as reported by the CIA, very little is known about the internet’s penetration rates among Iraqis today. Distribution of users among the Iraqi population is unknown; however given what we know about the country’s former leadership, it is not unsafe to speculate that of those 12,500 (2001)/25,000 (2002) a significant minority, at the very least, were permitted access due to favoritism or opportunity granted via the Baathist regime. With the end of Saddam’s regime and the chaos that followed, internet use in Iraqi is undoubtedly on the rise. Further research is needed to determine how Iraqis are going online and for what purposes.

The following posts will articulate five concerns I have about the spread of internet access in this region. The impetus for this series of posts originated from Deb Aikat’s “Global Impact of New Communications” JOMC223 course at UNC Chapel Hill. This particular assignment, called “Each One Teach One” (EOTO), will bring a dialogue of commentary between my classmates’ blogs as we react to our EOTO postings. Drawing from sources online as well as my personal experience, I hope you find the exploration of said concerns informative. Following the discussion of these concerns, I’ll provide three recommendations that I think would help to facilitate the healthy, Iraqi-centric development of their nation’s ICT.