jubaji

Text: U.S. Welcomes Islamic Conference's Condemnation of Terrorism

(Organization of Islamic Conference extends support to Iraqi people) (440)

The United States has welcomed the Organization of Islamic Conference’s
(OIC) condemnation of terrorist violence and support for the Iraqi people
as expressed in the final declaration of the organization’s summit meeting
in Saudi Arabia.

In a December 12 statement, White House press secretary Scott McClellan
said, “The United States welcomes the OIC decision to confront the
scourges of terrorism and extremism and support Iraq. We look forward to
strengthening our cooperation with members of the OIC committed to making
progress in the global fight against terrorists and their supporters.”

The December 8 OIC declaration rejected any justification for the killing
of innocent civilians and condemned the financing of terrorist activities.
It also condemned extremism and called for developing school curricula
that promote tolerance, dialogue and pluralism.

The United States also expressed its appreciation for the endorsement by
OIC members of an Arab League initiative to promote national dialogue in
Iraq.

Following is the text of the White House statement:

(begin text)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
December 12, 2005

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Statement on the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit
Declaration

On December 7 and 8, leaders of Muslim nations belonging to the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) met in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The
OIC Summit Declaration issued at the conclusion of this Summit covers a
great deal of ground. There is much in the Declaration with which we
agree, though there are also portions which do not comport with U.S.
policy.

The United States welcomes valuable statements from the OIC regarding
the common fight against terrorism and extremism. The Declaration
condemns terrorism; stresses the need to criminalize all aspects of
terrorism, including its financing; and rejects any justification for the
deliberate killing of innocent civilians. In addition, the OIC
Declaration condemns extremism and calls for developing school curricula
that "strengthen the values of understanding, tolerance, dialogue and
pluralism."

The United States also praises the OIC for the support it extends to
Iraq as it completes its transitional political process and elects a full
term government under its new democratic constitution. We appreciate the
endorsement of OIC members of the Arab League initiative to promote
national dialogue in Iraq and welcome the OIC's unreserved condemnation of
terrorist violence directed against the Iraqi people.

The United States welcomes the OIC decision to confront the scourges of
terrorism and extremism and support Iraq. We look forward to
strengthening our cooperation with members of the OIC committed to making
progress in the global fight against terrorists and their supporters.

(end text)

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jubaji

Text: United States Will Continue Support for Emerging Iraqi Democracy

(State Department official calls on world community to offer assistance)
(440)

The U.S. State Department pledged continued U.S. support for the Iraqi
people as they work to build a democracy and praised the efforts of Iraqis
both inside Iraq and in the diaspora to ensure that the elections are
open, free and fair.

“Though elections are just a first step, Iraqis continue to show the
world that they will not allow violence or an atmosphere of fear to deter
them from their goal of securing democracy,” said State Department
spokesman Sean McCormack in a December 15 statement.

He said Iraqi civil society has demonstrated its determination “to build
a country based on the principles of respect for rule of law, freedom of
assembly, and freedom of speech,” and he called on the international
community to offer its support to the Iraqi people in this effort.

Iraqis vote December 15 for representatives to serve a four-year term on
Iraq’s first democratic, constitutional Council of Representatives. Iraqi
expatriates began casting ballots in 15 countries across the Middle East,
Europe, Australia and North America December 13.

For additional information, see Iraq’s Political Process
(http://usinfo.state.gov/mena/middle_...olitical_proce
ess.html).

Following is the text of McCormack’s statement:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release
December 15, 2005

Statement by Sean McCormack, Spokesman

Today, Iraqis around the world go to the polls to elect a national
parliament. The United States stands with the Iraqi people as they embrace
democracy. Though elections are just a first step, Iraqis continue to show
the world that they will not allow violence or an atmosphere of fear to
deter them from their goal of securing democracy.

In the first two days of Out of Country (OCV) voting in this country
(Dec. 13 and 14), many Iraqis and Iraqi-Americans traveled long distances
and gave up pay to work at the polls so that each Iraqi was able to have
his or her voice heard. Likewise, during OCV in fourteen other countries,
the Iraqi Diaspora worked together to ensure that the process would be
open to all Iraqis regardless of ethnicity. Inside Iraq, candidates staged
rallies, hosted debates, and worked long hours to ensure that the voting
process today would be transparent, free and fair.

As Iraqi citizens elect their leaders today, Iraqi civil society
continues to demonstrate a determination to build a country based on the
principles of respect for rule of law, freedom of assembly, and freedom of
speech. The Iraqi people deserve the continued support of the United
States and the international community as they continue to create a free
society.

(end text)

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jubaji

Following is the transcript of President Bush’s remarks:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
December 18, 2005

ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION

Good evening. Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the polls
to choose their own leaders - a landmark day in the history of liberty. In
the coming weeks, the ballots will be counted ... a new government formed
.. and a people who suffered in tyranny for so long will become full
members of the free world.

This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the beginning
of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle
East. And this vote - 6,000 miles away, in a vital region of the world -
means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight against
terror.

All who had a part in this achievement – Iraqis and Americans, and
Coalition partners - can be proud. Yet our work is not done. There is more
testing and sacrifice before us. I know many Americans have questions
about the cost and direction of this war. So tonight I want to talk to you
about how far we have come in Iraq, and the path that lies ahead.

From this office, nearly three years ago, I announced the start of
military operations in Iraq. Our Coalition confronted a regime that defied
United Nations Security Council Resolutions ... violated a cease-fire
agreement ... sponsored terrorism ... and possessed, we believed, weapons
of mass destruction. After the swift fall of Baghdad, we found mass graves
filled by a dictator ... we found some capacity to restart programs to
produce weapons of mass destruction ... but we did not find those weapons.

It is true that Saddam Hussein had a history of pursuing and using
weapons of mass destruction. It is true that he systematically concealed
those programs, and blocked the work of UN weapons inspectors. It is true
that many nations believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
But much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As your President, I
am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq.

Yet it was right to remove Saddam Hussein from power. He was given an
ultimatum - and he made his choice for war. And the result of that war was
to rid the world of a murderous dictator who menaced his people, invaded
his neighbors, and declared America to be his enemy. Saddam Hussein,
captured and jailed, is still the same raging tyrant - only now without a
throne. His power to harm a single man, woman, or child is gone forever.
And the world is better for it.

Since the removal of Saddam, this war - like other wars in our history -
has been difficult. The mission of American troops in urban raids and
desert patrols - fighting Saddam loyalists and foreign terrorists - has
brought danger and suffering and loss. This loss has caused sorrow for our
whole Nation - and it has led some to ask if we are creating more problems
than we are solving.

That is an important question, and the answer depends on your view of
the war on terror. If you think the terrorists would become peaceful if
only America would stop provoking them, then it might make sense to leave
them alone.

This is not the threat I see. I see a global terrorist movement that
exploits Islam in the service of radical political aims - a vision in
which books are burned, women are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed.
Terrorist operatives conduct their campaign of murder with a set of
declared and specific goals - to de-moralize free nations ... to drive us
out of the Middle East ... to spread an empire of fear across that region
.. and to wage a perpetual war against America and our friends. These
terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield - and they seek to attack
us wherever they can. This has attracted al Qaida to Iraq, where they are
attempting to frighten and intimidate America into a policy of retreat.

The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and
elsewhere - they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if
we were not fighting them in Iraq ... in Afghanistan ... in Southeast Asia
.. and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens -
they would be on the offense, and headed our way.

September the 11th, 2001 required us to take every emerging threat to
our country seriously, and it shattered the illusion that terrorists
attack us only after we provoke them. On that day, we were not in Iraq ...
we were not in Afghanistan ... but the terrorists attacked us anyway - and
killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in our own country. My
conviction comes down to this: We do not create terrorism by fighting the
terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them. And we will defeat the
terrorists by capturing and killing them abroad ... removing their safe
havens ... and strengthening new allies like Iraq and Afghanistan in the
fight we share.

The work in Iraq has been especially difficult - more difficult than we
expected. Reconstruction efforts and the training of Iraqi Security Forces
started more slowly than we hoped. We continue to see violence and
suffering, caused by an enemy that is determined and brutal -
unconstrained by conscience or the rules of war.

Some look at the challenges in Iraq, and conclude that the war is lost,
and not worth another dime or another day. I don't believe that. Our
military commanders do not believe that. Our troops in the field, who bear
the burden and make the sacrifice, do not believe that America has lost.
And not even the terrorists believe it. We know from their own
communications that they feel a tightening noose - and fear the rise of a
democratic Iraq.

The terrorists will continue to have the coward's power to plant
roadside bombs and recruit suicide bombers. And you will continue to see
the grim results on the evening news. This proves that the war is
difficult - it doesn’t mean that we are losing. Behind the images of chaos
that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains with a
clear objective in view.

America, our Coalition, and Iraqi leaders are working toward the same
goal - a democratic Iraq that can defend itself ... that will never again
be a safe haven for terrorists ... and that will serve as a model of
freedom for the Middle East.

We’ve put in place a strategy to achieve this goal - a strategy I have
been discussing in detail over the last few weeks. This plan has three
critical elements.

First, our Coalition will remain on the offense - finding and clearing
out the enemy ... transferring control of more territory to Iraqi units
.. and building up the Iraqi Security Forces so they can increasingly
lead the fight. At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi
army and police battalions ready for combat. Now, there are more than 125
Iraqi combat battalions fighting the enemy ... more than 50 are taking the
lead ... and we have transferred more than a dozen military bases to Iraqi
control.

Second, we are helping the Iraqi government establish the institutions
of a unified and lasting democracy, in which all of Iraq's peoples are
included and represented. Here also, the news is encouraging. Three days
ago, more than 10 million Iraqis went to the polls - including many Sunni
Iraqis who had boycotted national elections last January. Iraqis of every
background are recognizing that democracy is the future of the country
they love - and they want their voices heard. One Iraqi, after dipping his
finger in the purple ink as he cast his ballot, stuck his finger in the
air and said: "This is a thorn in the eyes of the terrorists." Another
voter was asked, "Are you Sunni or Shia?" He responded, "I am Iraqi."

Third, after a number of setbacks, our Coalition is moving forward with
a reconstruction plan to revive Iraq's economy and infrastructure - and to
give Iraqis confidence that a free life will be a better life. Today in
Iraq, seven in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going well - and nearly
two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the year ahead. Despite
the violence, Iraqis are optimistic - and that optimism is justified.

In all three aspects of our strategy - security, democracy, and
reconstruction - we have learned from our experiences, and fixed what has
not worked. We will continue to listen to honest criticism, and make every
change that will help us complete the mission. Yet there is a difference
between honest critics who recognize what is wrong, and defeatists who
refuse to see that anything is right.

Defeatism may have its partisan uses, but it is not justified by the
facts. For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of
rebuilding and hope. For every life lost, there are countless more lives
reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there
are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow
citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq - we are winning the war in
Iraq.

It is also important for every American to understand the consequences
of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi
friends - and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep
its word. We would undermine the morale of our troops - by betraying the
cause for which they have sacrificed. We would cause the tyrants in the
Middle East to laugh at our failed resolve, and tighten their repressive
grip. We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us -
and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous
than ever before. To retreat before victory would be an act of
recklessness and dishonor ... and I will not allow it.

We are approaching a New Year, and there are certain things all
Americans can expect to see. We will see more sacrifice - from our
military ... their families ... and the Iraqi people. We will see a
concerted effort to improve Iraqi police forces and fight corruption. We
will see the Iraqi military gaining strength and confidence, and the
democratic process moving forward. As these achievements come, it should
require fewer American troops to accomplish our mission. I will make
decisions on troop levels based on the progress we see on the ground and
the advice of our military leaders - not based on artificial timetables
set by politicians in Washington. Our forces in Iraq are on the road to
victory - and that is the road that will take them home.

In the months ahead, all Americans will have a part in the success of
this war. Members of Congress will need to provide resources for our
military. Our men and women in uniform, who have done so much already,
will continue their brave and urgent work. And tonight, I ask all of you
listening to carefully consider the stakes of this war ... to realize how
far we have come and the good we are doing ... and to have patience in
this difficult, noble, and necessary cause.

I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision to
send troops to Iraq: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how
deeply it is felt. Yet now there are only two options before our country -
victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president
or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance.
I do not expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a
request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for
freedom.

Americans can expect some things of me as well. My most solemn
responsibility is to protect our Nation, and that requires me to make some
tough decisions. I see the consequences of those decisions when I meet
wounded servicemen and women who cannot leave their hospital beds, but
summon the strength to look me in the eye and say they would do it all
over again. I see the consequences when I talk to parents who miss a child
so much - but tell me he loved being a soldier ... he believed in his
mission ... and Mr. President, finish the job.

I know that some of my decisions have led to terrible loss - and not one
of those decisions has been taken lightly. I know this war is
controversial - yet being your President requires doing what I believe is
right and accepting the consequences. And I have never been more certain
that America's actions in Iraq are essential to the security of our
citizens, and will lay the foundation of peace for our children and
grandchildren.

Next week, Americans will gather to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah.
Many families will be praying for loved ones spending this season far from
home - in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other dangerous places. Our Nation joins
in those prayers. We pray for the safety and strength of our troops. We
trust, with them, in a love that conquers all fear, and a light that
reaches the darkest corners of the Earth. And we remember the words of the
Christmas carol, written during the Civil War: "God is not dead, nor
[does] He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on
Earth, good-will to men."

Thank you, and good night.

(end transcript)

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jubaji

Rumsfeld Says U.S. Does Not Want to Remain in Iraq Indefinitely

(Goal is to turn over responsibility as soon as security, politics allow)
(650)

Washington – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said it is not a goal of
the United States to remain in Iraq for the long term.

The United States went into Iraq “to replace the regime and turn that
country back to the Iraqi people and that’s what’s going to happen,” he
told a National Public Radio interviewer December 16, one day after Iraq’s
parliamentary elections polls closed. That is what the Iraqis and the
Americans want “and that’s what’s going to happen,” he said, “and that
country is going to be vastly better off for it.”

Rumsfeld told NPR that falsehoods are being spread to suggest that the
United States went into Iraq for its oil or, perhaps, to occupy the
country on a permanent basis. “That’s utter nonsense,” he said.

“Life is far from perfect” in Iraq, said the defense secretary, but he
also quoted an unnamed Iraq expert as saying the situation in Iraq “is
just terrible, but [at the same time] it’s never been better.” Although
acknowledging the continuing security problems, Rumsfeld pointed to a
benefit that was not part of Iraq’s experience under Saddam Hussein: 100
functioning newspapers, 44 radio stations and dozens of television
stations that are free to publish independently. In addition, he said,
people are not being put in mass graves by their government. (See related
article (http://usinfo.state.gov/mena/Archive.../19-15664.html).)

The December 15 Council of Representatives elections brought together
Iraqis who were able to argue, debate, discuss and carry out general
politicking and the secretary said this evolution was thrilling. “The
security situation controlled by the Iraqi security forces was done
brilliantly,” he said, “and the people, for the first time, had a chance
to vote for somebody that they wanted to put in public office.”

The Iraqi people have the right to be proud of these historic elections
because the voter turnout was enormous, Rumsfeld said. Now they will be
able to develop a constitution “that will keep them from fighting each
other or imposing their will on each other,” he said. “The only thing
that kept them from doing that in the past was a very dictatorial
repressive regime,” he added.

In every interview Rumsfeld is asked the question about a timetable for
withdrawing U.S. troops, he ties his answer, in part, to the readiness of
Iraqi forces to take over responsibility for the security of their
country. But the answer, he said, is not bound by numbers or equipment
requirements alone, because it is connected to softer issues such the
leadership skills of junior and noncommissioned officers in the Iraqi
forces.

Rumsfeld said a key question is whether an individual Iraqi ministry is
sufficiently strong to carry out a competent chain of command. This is
something that is difficult to quantify, he said, but can be just as
important as the number of capable troops or the number of tanks on hand.

In another December 16 radio interview with conservative commentator
Rush Limbaugh, Rumsfeld said he is eager to see that the next Iraqi
ministers of defense and interior “have the kind of competence and the
breadth as leaders to see that those two important wartime ministries are
functioning effectively so we can continue to pass off responsibility to
the Iraqi security forces.”

Asked about the next steps in Iraq, Rumsfeld the December 15 elections
results must be certified. After that, he said, it would take some time
for the Council of Representatives to be seated. The initial process of
selecting the Iraqi president and deputies, and then the prime minister
and the leaders for the various other ministries will follow. “That will
take some time,” the secretary said.

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jubaji

(begin text)

Freedom House
Press Release

MIDDLE EAST PROGRESS AMID GLOBAL GAINS IN FREEDOM

Arab Middle East Shows Improvement, Despite Continued Repression

Major Gains in Ukraine, Indonesia; Decline Noted in Philippines

Notable Gains in Worldwide Freedom

NEW YORK, December 19, 2005 -- The people of the Arab Middle East
experienced a modest but potentially significant increase in political
rights and civil liberties in 2005, Freedom House announced in a major
survey of global freedom released today.

The global survey, "Freedom in the World," shows that although the
Middle East continues to lag behind other regions, a measurable
improvement can be seen in freedom in several key Arab countries, as well
as the Palestinian Authority. In another key finding, the number of
countries rated by Freedom House as Not Free declined from 49 in 2004 to
45 for the year 2005, the lowest number of Not Free societies identified
by the survey in over a decade. In noteworthy country developments,
Ukraine and Indonesia saw their status improve from Partly Free to Free;
Afghanistan moved from Not Free to Partly Free; and the Philippines saw
its status decline from Free to Partly Free.

According to Thomas O. Melia, acting executive director of Freedom
House, "The modest but heartening advances in the Arab Middle East result
from activism by citizen groups and reforms by governments in about equal
measures. This emerging trend reminds us that men and women in this region
share the universal desire to live in free societies."

"As we welcome the stirrings of change in the Middle East," said Mr.
Melia, "it is equally important that we focus on the follow-through in
other regions and appreciate the importance of the continuing
consolidation of democracy in Indonesia, Ukraine, and other nations."

Complete survey results, including a package of charts and graphs, and
an explanatory essay are available online. The Ratings reflect global
events from December 1, 2004 through November 30, 2005. Country narratives
will be released in book form in summer 2006.

On the whole, the state of freedom showed substantial improvement
worldwide, with 27 countries and one territory registering gains and only
9 countries showing setbacks. The global picture thus suggests that the
past year was one of the most successful for freedom since Freedom House
began measuring world freedom in 1972.

"These global findings are encouraging," said Arch Puddington, director
of research. "Among other things, the past year has been notable for
terrorist violence, ethnic cleansing, civil conflict, catastrophic natural
disasters, and geopolitical polarization. That freedom could thrive in
this environment is impressive."

Although the countries of the Middle East lag behind other regions in
areas such as adherence to democratic standards, independent media, the
rights of women, and the rule of law, the past year witnessed modest
positive trends. Lebanon experienced the most significant improvement; its
status improved from Not Free to Partly Free due to major improvements in
both political rights and civil liberties that followed the withdrawal of
Syrian occupation forces. Elections exhibiting increased competition in
Iraq, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories; the introduction of women's
suffrage in Kuwait; and improvements in Saudi Arabia's media environment
are among other encouraging signs in the region.

According to the survey, 89 countries are Free, the same as the previous
year. These countries' nearly 3 billion inhabitants (46 percent of the
world's population) enjoy open political competition, a climate of respect
for civil liberties, significant independent civic life, and independent
media. Another 58 countries representing 1.2 billion people (18 percent)
are considered Partly Free. Political rights and civil liberties are more
limited in these countries, in which the norm may be corruption, weak rule
of law, ethnic and religious strife, and a setting in which a single
political party enjoys dominance. The survey finds that 45 countries are
Not Free. The 2.3 billion inhabitants (35 percent) of these countries are
widely and systematically denied basic civil liberties and basic political
rights are absent.

Aside from the Middle East, countries in the former Soviet Union were
most notable for improvements in freedom during 2005. In addition to
Ukraine, improvements were noted in Kyrgyzstan, whose rating improved from
Not Free to Partly Free, and Georgia. Positive change was also noted in
Latvia and Lithuania, two states where democratic freedoms had already
been consolidated.

Further gains in the region will likely depend on the development of the
kind of mature and credible opposition that emerged in Ukraine and Georgia
prior to their nonviolent revolutions. At the same time, authoritarian
leaderships in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and, most importantly,
Russia have adopted policies that will make it more difficult for the
development of a genuine civil society and will impede the development of
a democratic political opposition.

In Uzbekistan, state violence against demonstrators, the repression of
civil society, and an overall decline in human rights conditions during
the past year was sufficiently pronounced to warrant a decline in the
country's Freedom in the World score to the lowest possible rating. Only
eight countries worldwide earned a similar status as the worst of the
worst, and two, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, are in Central Asia. In
Russia-whose freedom status Freedom House lowered from Partly Free to Not
Free one year ago-the Putin leadership's anti-democratic tendencies
appeared, if anything, more pronounced in 2005.

Among the study's other findings:

-- The number of electoral democracies increased by three, from 119 to
122. This represents 64 percent of the world's countries-the highest
number in the survey's 33-year history.

-- Of the four countries that registered an outright decline in status,
the most significant was the Philippines. The decision to downgrade this
country from Free to Partly Free was based on credible allegations of
massive electoral fraud, corruption, and the government's intimidation of
elements in the political opposition. The period since September 11, 2001,
has witnessed steady progress in majority Muslim countries in regions
beyond the Middle East.

-- The steady record of progress observed represents a powerful argument
against the proposition that Islam is incompatible with democracy or is an
impediment to the spread of freedom. Indeed, there has been a striking
improvement in the level of freedom in majority Muslim countries over the
past ten years. In 1995, 1 majority Muslim country was Free, 13 were
Partly Free, and 32, or 70 percent, were Not Free. For 2005, the figures
are 3 Free countries, 20 Partly Free, and 23 Not Free.

Regional Patterns

Democracy and freedom are the dominant trends in Western and
East-Central Europe, in the Americas, and increasingly in the Asia-Pacific
region. In the former Soviet Union, the picture remains mixed, while in
Africa, Free societies and electoral democracies remain a minority despite
recent progress. As noted above, the Middle East has experienced gains for
freedom, though the region as a whole overwhelmingly consists of countries
in the Partly Free and Not Free categories.

Of the 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, 11 are Free (23 percent), 23
are Partly Free (48 percent), and 14 are Not Free (29 percent). Of the
African countries, 23 (48 percent) are electoral democracies.

In Asia, 16 of the region's 39 countries are Free (41 percent), 12 are
Partly Free (31 percent), and 11 are Not Free (28 percent). A solid
majority of the region's countries, 23, are in the ranks of electoral
democracies.

In East-Central Europe and the former USSR, there is now evidence of a
deepening chasm. In Central Europe and parts of Eastern Europe, including
the Baltic states, democracy and freedom prevail; in the countries of the
former Soviet Union, however, progress has been decidedly mixed. Overall,
17 of the 27 post-communist countries of East-Central Europe and the
former Soviet Union are electoral democracies. In addition, 13 of the
region's states are Free (48 percent), 7 are Partly Free (26 percent), and
7 are Not Free (26 percent). Meanwhile, of the 12 non-Baltic former Soviet
republics, 1 country is free (8 percent), 4 are Partly Free (33 percent),
and 7 are Not Free (58 percent).

Western Europe consists largely of Free countries and democracies, with
24 states Free, 1 country (Turkey) Partly Free, and all 25 ranking as
electoral democracies.

Among the 35 countries in the Americas, 33 are electoral democracies. In
all, 24 states are rated as Free (69 percent), 9 are Partly Free (26
percent), and 2-Cuba and Haiti-are Not Free (6 percent).

In the 18 Middle Eastern countries, only one, Israel, ranks as Free
(Israel is also the only electoral democracy in the region). There are 6
Partly Free states (33 percent), and 11 countries that are Not Free (61
percent).

Worst of the Worst

There are 45 states that are rated as Not Free, in which a broad range
of freedoms are systematically denied. Among the Not Free countries, 8
states have been given the survey's lowest rating of 7 for political
rights and 7 for civil liberties. The eight worst-rated countries
represent a narrow range of systems and cultures. Cuba and North Korea are
one-party Marxist-Leninist regimes. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are
Central Asian countries ruled by dictators with roots in the Soviet
period. Libya and Syria are Arab countries under the sway of secular
dictatorships, while Sudan is under a leadership that has elements both of
radical Islamism and of the traditional military junta. The remaining
worst rated state is Burma, a tightly controlled military dictatorship.

There are two worst-rated territories: Tibet (under Chinese
jurisdiction) and Chechnya, where an indigenous Islamic population is
engaged in a brutal guerrilla war for independence from Russia.

(end text)

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Mike Brewer

Jubaji,
I'm glad someone else besides me keeps up with the Dept of State mailers. Maybe someone here will actually read them as well. Not likely, but maybe.

You should also check out Stratfor Inc (Strategic Forecasting, Incorporated - I believe). They offer a pretty good free newsletter that digs pretty deep into the political, foreign policy, and current events sides of the news, and they report on a lot of stuff that never, ever hits the press. They have an excellent track record, and they're good at tying things together.

jubaji

Thanks, I'll check it out!

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Mike Brewer

US Soldiers Give Hospital a New Life (Courtesy Stars and Stripes)

BAGHDAD — Entering the one operational wing of the Alwaiya Children’s Hospital is like stepping back 60 years in time.

The government-run children’s hospital, situated in a middle-class district in eastern Baghdad, was built in 1945, and appears not to have been updated — or cleaned much, for that matter — since. The hallmarks of a modern hospital, such as computers, proper ventilation and up-to-date equipment, are conspicuously absent.

“This hospital has been neglected for renovation for over 40 years,” said Almar Abdul Kareem, an engineer overseeing a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project designed to bring the dilapidated hospital, and a few others in the Baghdad area, into the 21st century. The project is one of many being undertaken in the east Baghdad area by the 4-3 Brigade Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Stewart, Ga.

Commander Lt. Col. Vincent Quarles said the battalion has conducted 326 essential service projects in the east Baghdad area — at a cost of nearly $250 million — since arriving in Iraq 11 months ago. Most of the work is done by local laborers, about 5,000 of them each month, he said. Projects range from the big to small, from sewer pump stations and electrical nets to water treatment plants and projects such as the hospital.

Within the hospital’s dank, crowded interior, abaya-clad women gazed hopefully through the smeared plastic of incubators at their swaddled, barely breathing infants. Some of the incubators held two infants for lack of space.

Ten percent of the children would die, one doctor said quietly, many as a result of respiratory failure, some of it stemming from poor ventilation.

“We have no ventilators,” said Dr. Laith M. Potrous, one of about 20 doctors at the hospital. “This is a shame.”

In another room, entire families camped out beside ill children on tiny beds packed into a stuffy ward. Harried nurses tried to grab a quick bite in their stuffy, poorly lit offices while preparing medication, giving shots to screaming babies and attending to frazzled parents presenting a litany of complaints.

“It’s busy always, every day, like this,” said nurse Israa Jasim. “We have to help the people. We need new equipment, medical equipment. We need more supplies.”

Those requests are being answered by the Corps of Engineers, which has spent more than a year and about $2.87 million restoring half of the hospital, which presents a stark contrast to the other side. Inside the renovated half, gleaming, well-lit hallways open into spacious, well-ventilated wards. The new wing is scheduled to open in early January.

Almar, who marched through the hallways with visible excitement, proudly showed off new ventilation systems, water purifiers, air conditioners and generators. He even enthusiastically pointed out wood detailing at a nurses counter.

“It is good when you provide to people where a service is needed,” he said. “This is a life issue. You do something here and you feel that many people will be saved.”

Elsewhere in east Baghdad, inside the Alwaiya Maternity Hospital, similar improvements are in progress, to the tune of $5.75 million.

The old wing of the hospital is a place of eerie quiet, where men and women wait sullenly in dingy hallways and bleary-eyed women, covered from their necks to their toes with blankets, are wheeled around by stern-looking nurses.

The renovated side of the hospital, scheduled to open in March, is a bright, airy place with cheery rooms for recovering patients, wide, bright hallways and new quarters for doctors. As in the children’s hospital, every exam room will have Internet access and a computer.

The engineers have even taken pains to add quality-of-life touches, often at their own expense, such as the wood detailing at nurses counters.

Inside the maternity hospital, a small courtyard — a mirror image of a rubble-filled courtyard in the old part of the hospital — has been pruned into a tranquil garden.

The engineers have even added a cheeky touch: On the first floor of the maternity hospital, they’ve made room for a flower shop.

“There’s no excuse for the husband,” Almar said with a smile.

© 2003 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved.

Mike Brewer

Okay, I can admit when I'm wrong. This report came directly from CNN!

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- When troops from the Georgia National Guard raided a Baghdad home in early December, they had no idea that their mission in Iraq would take a different turn.

As the young parents of an infant girl nervously watched the soldiers search their modest home, the baby's unflinching grandmother thrust the little girl at the Americans, showing them the purple pouch protruding from her back.

Little Noor, barely three months old, was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal column fails to completely close. Iraqi doctors had told her parents she would live only 45 days. (Watch U.S. troops make saving a baby girl their mission -- 2:11)

But she was tenaciously clinging to life, and the soldiers in the home -- many of them fathers themselves -- were moved.

"Well, I saw this child as the firstborn child of the young mother and father and really, all I could think of was my five children back at home and my young daughter," Lt. Jeff Morgan told CNN from Baghdad. "And I knew if I had the opportunity whatsoever to save my daughter's life I would do everything possible.

"So my heart just kind of went out to this baby and these parents who ... were living in poverty and had no means to help their baby. I thought we could do that for them," he added.

So Morgan and his fellow soldiers began working to get Noor the help she needs.

"We ... collectively decided this is going to be our project," said Sgt. Michael Sonen. "If this is the only contribution we have to defeating the war on terrorism, this is going to be it."

The soldiers brought Noor to a U.S. military base for medical examinations and got friends and charities in the United States to help get her the surgery that could save her life.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and his office are working to speed up the process of getting a visa for Noor's grandmother, who will accompany her to Atlanta.

Dr. Roger Hudgins, the chief of neurosurgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, has promised to perform the delicate operation for free.

The doctor told CNN the surgery needs to take place soon.

"We need to get the back closed," Hudgins said. "The concern here is meningitis. If the baby gets an infection on the back, that infection can spread to the coverings all over the brain and the baby may die, so time is of the essence."

Spina bifida, often called open spine, is a birth defect that occurs during the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column fails to close completely.

It affects the backbone and sometimes the spinal cord itself, often causing permanently disabling defects, particularly neurological damage.

It is the most common such birth defect -- known as neural tube defects -- and affects about 1,500 to 2,000 babies born in the United States each year, according to the March of Dimes.

Some 70,000 people in the United States are living with spina bifida, according to the Spina Bifida Association.

There are three types of spina bifida. Baby Noor has the most severe type, in which the spinal cord's protective covering and the spinal nerves come through the opening in the spine.

The neurological damage that can come from this type includes full or partial paralysis, bladder and bowel control difficulties, learning disabilities and depression.

Sonen said Noor already has lost feeling in her feet.

Recent studies have shown that folic acid, taken before pregnancy and during the first trimester, can reduce the incidence of spina bifida.

Dr. Hudgins said that while the surgery will probably help baby Noor, there's no guarantee that it will cure her of her condition.

"Our hope and expectation ... is that we can get the child through the surgery and save the life, then we can work on the quality of life," he said.

Back in Baghdad, the news that Noor's journey may happen soon is heartening for both her family and the soldiers who have become involved.

"This just gives ... the courageous men of Charlie Company, it gives them a focal point outside of the normal day-to-day routine of trying to catch the insurgency," Morgan said. "It gives them something even more positive to focus on."

The lieutenant said that while his unit's main mission is to put down the insurgency in Iraq, it is also trying to help the country's citizens.

"We are also here to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. To show them that we are a just people, not only by helping them establish a constitution but helping them with their problems that they cannot handle," Morgan explained. "This little girl epitomizes the efforts of us to do that."

But for all of their help, the soldiers realize they're also possibly endangering the little girl and her family.

"We are always concerned that talking to anybody longer than a normal conversation will put them in danger," said Sgt. Archer Ford.

"We did a lot of things to protect the identity of these people," Morgan said.

"We visited them when we could, which was usually in the middle of the night, as covertly as possible," he added. "Because the insurgents in Iraq like to find people that we're trying to help sometimes and either terrorize them or sometimes worse."

CNN Producer Arwa Damon and Correspondent Aneesh Raman contributed to this report.

cam427

Wow... you actually posted something worth reading. I thought you only did insults. Perhaps you aren't as much of a dick as I thought

It is interesting how Cuba is always considered a "bad" place because it is a military dictatorship but the life of the average Cuban actually improved under Castro.

Cam

Mike Brewer

From the Files OF: Useful and Constructive suggestions for reform

6 ways to fix K Street
By MICHAEL DUFFY


Monday, January 16, 2006; Posted: 4:51 p.m. EST (21:51 GMT)



No fewer than six lobbying-reform proposals were floating around Congress late last week, and leaders of both parties were promising that one, or perhaps elements of all, would pass before Groundhog Day. TIME surveyed the latest proposals and the lawmakers behind them to handicap the probable outcome.

1. Ban lobbyist-paid travel. Until the scandal broke, it was fine for your Representative to take an all-expenses-paid trip to Pago Pago on behalf of the Alaskan Coconut Packing Council and do virtually no work upon arrival. Lobbyists proposed, arranged and paid for those trips--then went along to chalk up quality time. Now, under almost every proposal, Republican and Democrat, the junkets would be history. Chance of passage: 99%. Likely work-around: lawmakers will try to carve out an exemption for "educational" trips sponsored by policy groups and friendly foreign countries.

2. Slow the revolving door. Former members of Congress and their aides must wait a year after leaving their posts before lobbying former colleagues. Lawmakers want to double the waiting time to two years. Chance of passage: 90%. Less likely: extending the ban to five years. Meaningless extra: the House will probably pat itself on the back for barring former members turned lobbyists from exercising their right to return to the House floor or mingle in the House gym--a step that sounds tough but isn't. Said a GOP lawmaker: "By the time we get to the floor, we already know how the vote is going to turn out."

3. Ensure more transparency. Under this plan, lobbyists would have to disclose every dollar they spend on lawmakers. The limit on the value of a gift that aides and lawmakers would be allowed to accept would be lowered from $50 to perhaps $20. Chance of passage: 90%. Many, like Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, think gifts should be banned outright. "All the T shirts, golf caps and cheap luggage I've been given aren't even worth having," said a lawmaker. "None of these are gifts worth having."

4. Reform airfare rules. Lawmakers who really rate with lobbyists can often get a lift on a corporate jet and pay only first-class fare for the courtesy--a savings of time and thousands of dollars. Bills offered by both Feingold and Arizona Senator John McCain would require charter flights to be reimbursed at full market value, making them prohibitive. Chance of passage: 50%.


5. Ban earmarks. The once rare but now common practice of earmarking specific amounts of money for individual pork projects in hard-to-stop conference reports has given rise to a new class of lobbyist that specializes in the no-fingerprints line items. John Boehner, the Ohioan who wants to be House majority leader, backs this change, but so far it faces long odds. Chance of passage: 35%.

6. Ban fund raising while Congress is in session. Instead of dropping by two fund raisers a night in Washington, lobbyists would have to wait until recesses, making it harder to convert last night's donation into tomorrow's amendment. By lightening schedules, a ban would improve lawmakers' lives but flatten the capital's vast catering and events economy. Still, quipped a Midwestern lawmaker, "it would be the best airline bailout we could ever pass," since more fund raisers would take place out of town. Chance of passage: 10%.