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A stepped-up campaign by Iraq's prime minister against Saddam Hussein loyalists is alienating Sunni Muslims and stoking tensions between them and the majority Shiites ahead of key national elections.
Seen from a tiny village on a recent moonless night, the sprawling U.S. base three miles to the north looks more like a medium-size city than a military facility in a war zone.
Kabul remains on edge, with suicide bombings shattering any peace and the growing strength of the Taliban-led insurgency on everyone's mind.
Armed with an AK-47, an American contract worker said Wednesday he held off militants attacking a guest house in Kabul, allowing about two dozen U.N. election workers to escape.
The sprawling Shiite suburb of south Beirut has made a comeback after the destruction wreaked by Israel during 2006 fighting, a symbol of the community's resilience at a time when its political patron, Hezbollah, is seeking a greater voice in Lebanon's government.
There are just a few days left before U.S. Army Capt. Nathan Williams finally gets to go home.
Iraq's prime minister is feeling a backlash over a bitter fight he picked with Syria, which he accuses of harboring Saddam Hussein loyalists suspected in deadly bombings in Baghdad. Critics say he just wants to divert attention from his own government's security failures.
Men in shorts splash in its murky brown waters or hop onto pleasure boats that blare sexy Iraqi pop songs. Lovers meet by its banks or take a short nighttime cruise, some even defying the rules of conservative Baghdad to steal a quick kiss in the dark.
Abandoned by his fellow Shiites, Iraq's prime minister must turn to new allies and work twice as hard to form a broad-based alliance if he is to keep his job after January's parliamentary elections.
A few days ago, Capt. Nathan Williams asked the Iraqi battalion commander in charge of a northern Baghdad district whether he needed help with a planned security operation. The response, judging by the silence and body language, was clear: a polite "Thanks, but no thanks."
Some worshippers stayed away from mosques Friday, offering their traditional prayers at home. Markets had fewer-than-usual shoppers. Parks were strangely uncrowded — unusual for a hot August day.
Al-Qaida in Iraq is the most likely suspect behind massive truck bombings targeting major government institutions in Baghdad.
Iraq's prime minister on Wednesday stepped up pressure on Syria to hand over two suspects wanted in recent suicide attacks on government ministries in Baghdad.
The Revolutionary Guard tightened its already powerful hold over Iran during the post-election turmoil, raising alarm among some Iranians that it is transforming the Islamic Republic into a military state.
Antique dealer Riyadh al-Khafaf has so few customers he hasn't bothered to dust his collection of fine metalware from the early 20th century. Other dealers say they can go for days without seeing even a browser.
Iraq's public rebuff of a U.S. offer of help with national reconciliation efforts may in part be political posturing. It also points to the dilemma facing the prime minister — he needs U.S. help and must garner support from Iraqis fed up with the American presence.
Iraqis are skeptical that much will change after last week's pullback of U.S. combat troops from Baghdad and other cities, a sentiment not shared by their government.
There is no place outside Iran that has closer links to Tehran's ruling establishment than Iraq's holy Shiite city of Najaf, where the silence during Iran's post-election crisis says much about the deep complexities of their cross-border bonds.
Just a few weeks ago, they would have been virtually unthinkable acts of defiance in Iran: standing up to the supreme leader, ignoring his warnings to stay off the streets — then chanting for his death.
Iran has had an impressive run for the past decade — expanding its regional muscle through proxy militias, its expanding missile capabilities and its big brother role with Iraq's Shiites after the toppling of arch-foe Saddam Hussein.
One of Iran's most powerful men may be playing a key role behind closed doors in the country's escalating postelection crisis.
They still feel like newlyweds, five years into their marriage. A lucky couple?
The American captain was visibly irritated as local officials pressed him to move his vehicles away from the meeting place to allow traffic to pass. Finally, he walked out of the meeting — and none of the Iraqis asked why.
Steps are under way to rebuild a coalition of Shiite political parties, a move that would solidify the majority sect's grip on power but embitter disaffected Sunnis and stoke fears of Iranian influence as the U.S. role here fades.
A top Shiite cleric close to Hezbollah favorably contrasted President Barack Obama's inviting language with his predecessor's invading tanks — but also used a Friday sermon to pour contempt on the president's mention of America's strong ties with Israel.
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