Everything you wanted to know about the Iraqi Kurdish elections but were afraid to ask. Analysis from Erbil for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, July 2009
When football came home to Iraq
August 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Iraqi football team plays its first home international since the US-led invasion. The visiting Palestinian team is thrashed three-nil. But the scoreline is not as striking as the delirious celebrations off the pitch. Report from Arbil for BBC News, July 2009
Financial Times Weekend magazine: Policing Kirkuk
August 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Kirkuk’s anti-terrorist police ride around in battered pickup trucks, keeping a nervous lookout for the bombers that have killed scores of their colleagues. With the American military eying an exit from Iraq, the force has become a central player in a seemingly intractable conflict over land and oil.
I accompanied the officers as they carried out overnight raids in pursuit of an insurgent cell linked to al-Qaeda.
- Six-page spread (3,500 words) from Kirkuk for Financial Times Weekend magazine, June 2009. (Available for free after registration.)
- Five-minute audio slideshow from Kirkuk for Financial Times website, June 2009. (Available for free after registration.)
Photographs by Kamaran Najm/Metrography
Monocle magazine: Arbil, the Iraqi boomtown
August 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Arbil, capital of Iraq’s relatively stable Kurdistan region, has developed at a breakneck pace while violence cripples the rest of the country. Wide highways and vast construction projects are transforming a city steeped in history and surrounded by mineral riches. Kurdish leaders believe they can attract foreign investment by promising access to their untapped markets and natural resources.
- Five-page spread (2,000 words) for Monocle magazine from Kirkuk, February 2009. (Subscription required to view article on Monocle website.)
Photographs by Kamaran Najm/Metrography
Caucasus foes fight cyber war
August 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Hackers from Russia and Georgia open up a new front in cyberspace as their countries go to war in the Caucasus. Experts say it was inevitable that “the dark side of Silicon Valley” would be enlisted for real-life battles. Analysis for BBC News, August 2008
Ossetian official describes fleeing
August 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
An account of the Georgian assault on Tskhinvali from a spokeswoman for South Ossetia’s separatist government. BBC News, August 2008
Georgia sees Iraq as Nato route
August 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Georgia sent 2,000 troops to fight alongside the US in Iraq, making them the third-largest force in the coalition at the start of 2008.
However, this commitment did not bring Tbilisi any closer to Nato, as it had hoped. At a summit that April, the alliance decided against expanding eastwards. Already stalled, Georgia’s Nato ambitions suffered a shattering reversal during its war with Russia that summer, which was seen in the West as a warning against provoking Moscow.
Nevertheless, Georgia’s Iraq deployment was, in some respects, a success. If nothing else, it enabled a tiny Caucasian country to upgrade its Soviet-era military and briefly march in step with the US. Report for BBC News from Tbilisi, April 2008
Caucasus on alert over Kosovo
August 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Secessionists stir in the Caucasus over Kosovo’s plans to declare independence. Russia and its allies warned that redrawing borders in the Balkans could destabilise other contested regions. I visited South Ossetia in the winter before Georgia went to war with Russia over the territory. The “frozen conflict” was warming up. Report from Tskhinvali for BBC News, January 2008
Russia’s reach unnerves Chechens
August 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Chechens who fought the Russian army – or simply fled it – cast wistful eyes at their homeland across the border. Report from the Pankisi Gorge for BBC News, January 2008
Georgian protesters give poll icy reception
August 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Opposition supporters voice a range of grievances against President Mikhail Saakashvili – but early results from a snap election suggest most Georgian voters backed him. Report from Tbilisi for BBC News, January 2008
Georgian TV feud mirrors poll rivalry
August 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The contrasting fortunes of two TV stations ignite a debate over press freedom in Georgia, just before a snap presidential election. Report from Tbilisi for BBC News, January 2008
Veltroni: Rising star of Italy’s left
August 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Italian left pins its revival hopes on the mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni. Profile for BBC News, October 2007
Russia’s bear bomber returns
August 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Russia’s lumbering Tupolev Tu-95 bombers are flying into airspace patrolled by Nato jets, reviving memories of Cold War-era skirmishes. BBC News, September 2007
‘Green’ prison softens tough convicts
August 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A Norwegian prison aims to save the environment and prepare its inmates for life after incarceration. BBC News, September 2007
Neil Arun 