At one time, a surge of information came out about the many pro-American Iraqi's Blogging about life in Bahgdad.
Mr. Bush even threw out some examples.
One of the most curious of these, ITM or Iraq, The Model became a source of great speculation.
In 2005 ITM was "bought" or "hired" by a funding group clearly happy with an endlessly pro-American, pro-Democracy voices which made up a part of ITM. After the purchase, one of the ITM founders left, claiming his brothers had sold out the blog to be a propoganda tool of the US.
This weekend I revisited this issue with two Vets just back from Bahgdad.
Both Vets have just completed second tours in Iraq. Both are friends of many years. Both are mid-level officers. One believes Iraq is lost, hopeless, pointless and we need to get out now. The other believes we should abandon Bahgdad which is lost and hopeless and let it depoplulate itself without killing American's in the process and focus on securing the rest of Iraq and start bringing back the middle class who have left Iraq.
After my dinner with them last Thursday I realized I had not visited any Iraq blogs for almost 2 months and should do so. See what they are reporting.
None of the 6 blogs I trust about Bahgdad had any new posts in the last two months. Very disturbing.
So I thought I would go to Iraq the Model, and see what the blogs they link to had to say. I had done this twice before, once in late 2005 and once in November 2006.
In 2005, almost all the blogs were Bahgdad based, upset about some things going on, but generally forward looking and positive about what was next. From memory I remeber 20ish active Bahgdad Blogs. 5 ish other Iraqi cities, and 5 ish London Expats.
In Nov. 2006, about half the blogs had become rather fatalist, and were increasingly negative on both Iraqi and American Leadership. I remember that several of the Blogs no longer seemed to be posting, but were still up.
I was completely unprepared for how stunning, how negative, and how horrible some nearly all the postings now are.
This is my review, from Friday and Saturday of the Blogroll of Iraq the Model. A site that, by nearly all accounts is a wholly owned propoganda arm of the US Occupations of Iraq.
Summary:
31 Blogs in the Blogroll ( I went to, and read the 5 most recent posting of them all(if 5 posts existed))
3 Total - have postings and claim to be in Bahgdad since AEIs Surge
12 Total - had once been in Bahgdad but have now "escaped" or "fled" since Nov 2006.
5 Total - no postings in over 6 months
9 Total - no postings in the last 3 months (start of AEI's Surge Strategy)
7 Total - had postings relaying events on the ground since AEIs Surge. All Horrific.
Including this account of near murder by a taxi driverIn a City Called Hell... dated last week and this account of an expat from London getting through to her Grandfather in Bahgdad to wish him happy birthday and finding him under siege in his own home. Grandpa's Birthday Greeting with Machine Gun Fire
Most of the blogs are now fatalistic, anti-Occupation, scared, writing about anything other than Iraq or stranger still, offering commentary about other people's commentary about Iraq.
List is below. I have not taken the time to make all the links active. Too much work to get done today.
Iraq the Mogel Blogroll
Last Post - Location/Status of Blogger/Post
A Baghdad Artist 21 April 07 - Bahgdad Was trying to Escape Bahgdad
Baghdad Girl 28 Mar 07 - Bahgded Moved to UAE in Nov. 06
Beth-Nahrain 23 Feb 07 - Bahgdad Reported Missing March 07
Days of My Life 28 May 07 - Mosul, Uncle Killed in Bahgdad May 23
Diary from Baghdad 05 May 06 - Bahgdad, US killed her family accidently 3/06.
Emotions 29 May 07 - Mosul, US forces raided best friends house
Exiled Shalash, The 26 July 06 - Bahgdad, Believed situation was hopeless.
Eye Raki 27 May 07 - London, Corruption and Cost of Shoes.
Fayrouz in Beaumont 28 May 07 - Basra, Surge making situation worse.
Hammorabi 31 May 07 - Bahgdad, Resistance to US is Growing
Healing Iraq 31 May 07 - (?)V-link to Mahdi/IAF Op. vs. US.
Ibn-Alrafidain 31 May 07 - Jordan(?) Literacy of the Baathists in the 60s.
Ihath 11 May 07 - Canada, Meditation on Art Festivals
In Iraq, sex is like snow 29 Apr 07 - Bahgdad(?), Muslim take on Oral Incest.
Iraq at a glance 31 Dec 06 - Bahgdad, Saddam dead, situation worse
Iraqi Atheist 20 May 07 - Bahgdad, Thoughts on Iraqi Tribalism
Iraqi Kurdistan 07 May 07 - Kurdistan, Growing Honor Kilings of Women.
Iraqi Mojo 01 Jun 07 - Brooklyn, Things were better under Sadaam
Iraqi Rocker 20 Mar 07 - (?) Account of escape from Bahgdad to (?)
Iraq Pundit 05 May 07 - (?) Comments on WaPo article about Iraq.
Iraq Rising 12 Mar 06 - London, Easy Steps to form Iraqi Govt.
Ishtaria 07 Mar 07 - (?) Long post on an office romance (?)
Madly in Love with Iraq 28 May 07 - UK, A family under siege in Bagdad phones her
Mesopotamian 20 Apr 07 - (?) US needs to pull out of Bagdad now.
No Pain No Gain 01 May 07 - Jordan(?) US needs to pull out of Iraq soon.
Pearls of Iraq 02 Feb 06 - (?) Announcement of trying to return to Iraq.
Sooni 23 Jan 07 - Bahgdad, Iraqi Conspiracy Theory outlines
Talisman Gate 01 Jun 07 - NYC NeoConic NYsun Syrian-Iranian overthrow
Tara (Arabic) 20 May 07 - Oman, missing relatives may be dead in Iraq.
The Shaqawa 01 Jun 07 - DC(?), value of sectatian identity amond shia
Where Date Palms Grow 30 May 07 - UK, Account of friend nearly killed in Iraq