Global Post Goes Live

Today is a great day for international news. GLOBAL POST is live. With more than 70 correspondents in every corner of the world and a mission to redefine international news for the digital age, Global News is media entrepreneurship at its best. The special report titled "For Which It Stands" is a must read. And don't miss the video from Afghanistan titled "An Accordian Journey." As my friend and Global News founder Charles Sennott puts it, "The video will make you feel good and how many stories about Afghanistan are built around a performance of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire?" You have to watch it to know what I mean."

You Can Help Susan Retik Win $35,000 for Afghan Widows. VOTE NOW!

Susan Retik, the founder of Beyond the 11th who was featured in our film "Beyond Belief," is a finalist for the Smart Cookie Award at Cookie Magazine. The winner will receive $35,000 for her foundation. THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS! Imagine the incredible impact that money can have in the lives of women and children. I think of Sahera and her five children who I met while visiting Kabul. Help from Susan's organization means the difference between Sahera having to send her six-year-old daughter to school or out into the street to beg for money and scraps of bread. For other families, the choice for young girls is even more horrific - forced marriage and prostitution. Vote now for Susan Retik (and Beyond the 11th).

As the U.S. increases military activity in Afghanistan, and the Taliban stranglehold grows in different regions, life for women and children continues to deteriorate. But Beyond the 11th is making a difference by providing life-saving financial and emotional support to those who are trapped in an ever-deepening cycle of poverty. Susan's grants help thousands of Afghanistan's more than two million widows become self-sufficient and financially independent.

Susan's work was inspired by the incredible generosity she received after losing her husband, David, on September 11th, and her realization of the scarcity of help for widows in Afghanistan. An editorial Susan wrote recently reminds me how much her work promotes peace and justice and protects humanity.

Together we can help Susan make a difference for the women and children in Afghanistan--a difference that will have a ripple effect throughout the world. There are no obligations to voting- you do not have to subscribe to the magazine and you will not be put on any mailing or call lists. One lucky voter will win a five-night stay for two adults and three children at the Azul Sensatori Hotel by Karisma in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Please VOTE!

Media Re:public: The Future of News in This Digitial Era

For the past year my friend, Persephone Miel, has been working with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society to answer this complex question: What is the future of journalism in a digital world? After conversations and conferences with journalists, bloggers, citizen journalists, public broadcasters, publishers, advertising networks, researchers, technologists, and many others, they've released a major research report (and a cool short video to go with it).



As I continue to be astonished – and depressed - by the decline in international reporting, I was particularly interested in the research report focused on international news coverage.

Iraq War Coverage: Two Percent is Too Little

Reports that "the surge is working" in Iraq have given Americans permission to say, "Thank God. We don't have to worry about that anymore." And now the media, too, are off to fight the good war in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that the United States is fighting a war in Iraq, only two percent (often less) of all our news coverage is focused on Iraq. A new Columbia Journalism Review article does a good job outlining what's going on with our collective conscience.

"Beyond Belief" Leadership Retreat in Los Angeles

A little late blogging on this... Last week I got back from our first official "Beyond Belief" Countering Terrorism Leadership Retreat in Los Angeles, organized by Americans for Informed Democracy. The all-day event took place on the USC Health Sciences campus and included a keynote speech from Suraya Sadeed, founder of Help the Afghan Children, a screening of "Beyond Belief", Q&A, panel discussion, and roundtable. More than 50 people attended, including high school students from Santa Monica and Compton, USC professors, a handful of college students, and local activists. Despite such a mixed crowd, it was great to see so many people engaged in a discussion about non-violent reponses to terrorism and America's role in the post-9/11 world. Particularly fascinating was a presentation from Ed O'Connell of the RAND Corporation on the importance of bolstering civil society organizations in the Middle East. A few pictures from the event are posted below... stay tuned for some video as well. Thanks to The Fledgling Fund for making this event possible and especially to Lynn Crandall, Laura Kavanaugh, and Vicente Garcia for all their hard work organizing.

Suraya Sadeed is the founder of Help the Afghan Children, which has been working on humanitarian projects in Afghanistan since 1993, during the civil war.

Students talking in the lobby during a break between sessions.

Ed O'Connell (RAND Corporation) telling stories from his time in the Middle East to some high school students from Santa Monica.

Post-screening discussion.

"House Bombs" Deter Iraqi Refugees from Returning Home

In another example of the dangers facing displaced Iraqis trying to return home, the U.S. News and World Report has reported on a new tactic insurgents are using in Diyala province:

The destroyed homes are the result of one of Al Qaeda in Iraq's latest strategies—converting homes into bombs, or "house-borne improvised explosive devices," as they've been dubbed. It's a tactic particular to this province, which is a combustible mix of Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish residents... Over the past year, some 60 dwellings were destroyed by AQI. Many were demolished as fighters fled when U.S. and Iraqi Army units bore down on their positions. AQI fighters also conceal mines and IEDs in the lush palm and date groves around the area.

Efforts are being made to defuse these bombs and reestablish security as some refugees begin to return:

In response to the dozens of households moving back to the area, local Iraqi reconciliation committees have devised a new strategy. Iraqi and coalition teams will de-mine the areas where fighting has taken place so that residents can return. Then, some of the sons from returning families will be hired as security guards, with a guaranteed paycheck for several months. This has the dual impact of employing returning residents and making the area more difficult for [Al Qaeda in Iraq] to re-establish itself.

Some Christians returning to Mosul

Some good news from Iraq today... After a few days of calm in Mosul, a small number of displaced Christian Iraqis are beginning to return home. Flush with a budget surplus, the Iraqi government has tried to lure persecuted Christians back with payments of 1 million dinars ($865), a tactic it has also used to bring back refugees from Syria. Still, according to a recent report published by Refugees International, Iraq should not be encouraging refugees' return because it has not established "security and essential services Iraqis need to return and rebuild their lives."

When we attended a recent Rutgers Law School symposium "Iraq at a Crossroads," there seemed to be a consensus among the politicians, activists, aid workers and lawyers in the room that, while the "surge" has partially stabilized the country, Iraq is still a long way from achieving the kind of political stability and security that will allow refugees to return in large numbers.

Stay tuned for some video from the symposium, including a keynote speech from Rajiv Chandrasekaran, National Editor for The Washington Post and author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City.

Half of Mosul's Christians have fled the city

A lot of press has been devoted lately to the continued persecution of Iraqi Christians in the city of Mosul. CNN International reports today that an estimated 13,000 Christians have fled the northern Iraqi city amidst rising sectarian tensions in the area. There has been much debate in the international community about how to respond to this new wave of refugees, with Germany arguing back in April that the EU should give preferential treatment to Christians over other religions and groups. The proposal was rejected, but with this latest wave of violence, there have been renewed calls from Pope Benedict XVI for assistance to persecuted Christians, both in Iraq and India.

George Packer's "Betrayed" airing tomorrow at 9pm on WNET New York

For those in the New York area, a performance of George Packer's acclaimed play "Betrayed" will air tomorrow night at 9pm on Thirteen/WNET. Packer is a writer for The New Yorker and author of The Assassin's Gate: America in Iraq, one of the definitive books on the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. His new play focuses on the plight of Iraqi interpreters and is an extension of a widely-read article he wrote back in March 2007. Both the article and the play are well-worth checking out.

Kirk Johnson profiled in the Chicago Daily Herald

The Chicago Daily Herald has written a nice profile piece of Kirk and the origins of The List Project. Kirk is one of the main subjects of our upcoming documentary The Promise of Freedom.

Here's a video profile we recently did on Kirk as a sample for the Pulitzer Center-sponsored YouTube contest Project:Report...

Is Iraq losing it's youth?

Elizabeth Ferris and Navtej Dhillon wrote an interesting piece in The Guardian yesterday that explores the demographic effects of the Iraqi refugee crisis. Here's an excerpt from the article, entitled "Iraq's Missing Generation":

Youth, not oil, is Iraq's most precious asset in building a stable and prosperous future. In 2002, before the US invasion, around 60% of Iraq's population was under the age of 30 – many with high school and university education. Today, too many of those young people are among the 2.2 million Iraqi refugees living in countries such as Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

As Iraq takes important steps towards national reconciliation and economic development, no one is paying attention to young Iraqi refugees. Their plight is largely portrayed through a sectarian lens. But when the focus shifts to the age of those uprooted, it is clear that a large number are young men and women, struggling with displacement at the prime of their life. Rather than building their future careers and families, their plans are on hold and their hopes are in limbo.

Indeed, many of the Iraqis on Kirk Johnson's list are young, educated people in their 20's and 30's. In the face of death threats from radical militias, these Iraqis often have no choice but to flee the country, but questions remain about how Iraq's "brain drain" will affect the long-term stability of the country and it's capacity to rebuild. Is Iraq in danger of becoming another failed state like Afghanistan?

New Bill to Help Displaced Iraqis

From the website of Sen. Robert Casey:

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced legislation that would require the Secretary of State to develop a comprehensive regional strategy to address the mass displacement of Iraqis. To date, Congress has not passed any significant legislation addressing the needs of millions of Iraqis who have been forced to flee from their homes.

“The Bush Administration lacks a comprehensive regional strategy to address the mass influx of Iraqi refugees into neighboring countries,” said Senator Casey. “We have a moral responsibility to help the millions of Iraqis who have been displaced from their homes. It is my hope that this bill will take the necessary first steps to develop a long-term strategy to address the needs of vulnerable Iraqis.”

“The lack of planning on the part of this administration and the absence of any long-term comprehensive plan to deal with refugees, threatens to destabilize the entire region and undermine security in Iraq,” said Senator Cardin. “We must act quickly and coherently. Too many of the 4.7 million displaced Iraqis remain stranded, jobless, and deprived of essential services with their conditions worsening by the day.”

The Support for Vulnerable and Displaced Iraqis Act of 2008 would:

Address the serious challenges facing Iraqi refugees, including: lack of legal status; inadequate U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and nongovernmental organizations resources; limited access to education and healthcare; critical food shortages; and inadequate shelter, drinking water, sanitation and protection;

Address the responsibility of the Government of Iraq to help meet the urgent needs of its citizens in Iraq and in the region and steps the United States can take to provide support in this area;

Include an assessment of needs of vulnerable Iraqis in Iraq and an estimate of assistance required in order for the United States to help meet these needs;

Include the number of refugees from Iraq the United States plans to resettle in the United States;

Include an assessment of what conditions are necessary for the voluntary, safe, sustainable return of displaced Iraqis;

Include a description of the steps the U.S. Government has taken and will take to engage the international community to implement the strategy; and

Include plans to assess the impact of the strategy.

Since the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003, it is estimated that as many as two million Iraqis have fled their homes to neighboring countries to avoid sectarian and other violence while over 2.7 million have been displaced internally in Iraq. The massive displacement of Iraqis in Iraq and the region has overwhelmed existing social, economic, and security capacities of countries in the region, particularly Iraq, Jordan and Syria. Increasing poverty and despair among displaced populations may provide fertile ground for possible recruitment by extremist groups.


To find out more about what you can personally do to help displaced Iraqis, visit The List Project.

A New Approach to U.S. relations with the Muslim world?

The New York Times yesterday highlighted a new report "calling for an overhaul of American strategy to reverse the spread of terrorism and extremism." Here's an excerpt:

The report recommends more diplomatic engagement, even with Iran and other adversaries, and a major investment in economic development in Muslim countries to create jobs for alienated youth. It calls on the next president to use his Inaugural Address to signal a shift in approach, to immediately renounce the use of torture, and to appoint a special envoy within the first three months to jump-start negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The report, “Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World,”; was produced by 34 leaders drawn from religious, business, military, foreign policy, academic, foundation and nonprofit circles. The group included Democrats like Madeleine K. Albright, who was secretary of state under President Bill Clinton, and two former Republican congressmen, Vin Weber and Steve Bartlett.

This comes just 2 days before we are set to hold our first of five Beyond Belief student conferences in partnership with Americans for Informed Democracy, an amazing organization committed to "empowering young people in the United States to address global issues—poverty, health, climate change, peace and security—through awareness-raising and actions that promote just and sustainable solutions on their campuses, in their communities, and nationally."

These conferences, made possible by The Fledgling Fund, will be major part of our ongoing outreach campaign to bring the film's message of cross-cultural understanding and citizen diplomacy to a wider audience.

Here's a quick clip from Beyond Belief that demonstrates the power of dialogue to break down cultural boundaries...

Bush: More Troops to Afghanistan

Thursday, Jul. 03, 2008 By AP/BEN FELLER

(WASHINGTON) — Grappling with a record death toll in an overshadowed war, President Bush promised Wednesday to send more U.S. troops into Afghanistan by year's end. He conceded that June was a "tough month" in the nearly seven-year-old war.

In fact, it was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the conflict began. More U.S. and NATO troops have died in the past two months in Afghanistan than in Iraq, a place with triple the number of U.S. and coalition forces. In June, 28 U.S. troops died in Afghanistan. That was the highest monthly total of the entire war, which began in October 2001.

For the full U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan the death toll was 46, also the highest of the war. "One reason why there have been more deaths is because our troops are taking the fight to a tough enemy, an enemy who doesn't like our presence there because they don't like the idea of America denying safe haven (to terrorists)," Bush told reporters. "Of course there's going to be resistance."

Bush said it was a tough month too for the Taliban. But the once-toppled Islamist regime in Afghanistan has now rebounded with deadly force. He confronted the grim direction of the Afghanistan conflict during a sun-splashed Rose Garden appearance. The president used the event to tout his agenda for an upcoming Group of Eight meeting in Japan with world leaders, then addressed Iran, climate change and gasoline prices in a short Q&A session with reporters.

The Pentagon predicts the pace of attacks in Afghanistan by a resurgent Taliban is likely to rise this year, despite U.S.-led efforts to capture key leaders. "We're going to increase troops by 2009," Bush said, without offering details about exactly when or how many.

It amounted to a reiteration of a promised buildup of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by Bush. He said coalition forces have doubled in size over two years, and pledged that the twin strategy of fighting extremists and supporting Afghanistan's civil development "is going to work."

The Pentagon's top military officer said Wednesday that if security continues to improve in Iraq he is hopeful he will begin to have troops available to shift to Afghanistan by the end of this year. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more troops are essential to stem the violence. "The Taliban and their supporters have, without question, grown more effective and more aggressive in recent weeks, and as the casualty figures clearly demonstrate," Mullen said. He added that "there's no easy solution, and there will be no quick fix."

In terms of public attention, the war in Afghanistan has been obscured by the far costlier and deadlier one in Iraq.

But it is a matter of consensus within the Bush administration, and between the U.S. and key allies, that there are far too few troops in Afghanistan to fight the accelerating Taliban and to train Afghan soldiers and police.

Overall, roughly 32,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, including 14,000 serving with NATO forces and 18,000 conducting training and counterinsurgency, the largest U.S. presence since the war began.

Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

What We Want in a Newsman

A Columbia Journalism Review piece opines about what all the Tim Russert replacement talk says about what we as viewers are looking for in newscaster. I know I'm never looking for an anchor, but rather a reporter who just happens to be good in the anchor seat. And you couldn't ask for a better political reporter than Tim Russert. That's becuase he cut his chops as an indispensible news source - first as chief of staff to Senator Patrick Moynihan, then as counselor to NY governor Mario Cuomo. And unlike so many of today's entertainment newspeople, who won't let inconvenient facts get in the way of their "good story," Russert never tried to manipulate us. Tom Brokaw is a reporting legend, too, but still, when I watch my Tivo recordings of "Meet the Press" on Monday nights, I'll be sorry to see him sitting in Tim's seat...

Iraqi Refugees Struggle to Find Jobs in America

On Saturday afternoon forty-eight Iraqi refugees who have resettled in the U.S. arrived at Reagan International Airport. The men wore pressed suits and ties and the women had freshly polished fingernails and high heels. They were clearly dressed to impress. In their luggage they carried a most prized possession - resumes detailing their work with American companies, the American military and the American government in Iraq. While they are a unique refugee group -- all are college-educated professionals -- they face the most common refugee problem: continuing their careers in America.

"I helped Army soldiers understand the Muslim culture. I trained them. Why can't I do that same job here in the United States? Before the soldiers go to Iraq?," one middle-aged Iraqi man pleaded with a job advisor from Upwardly Global, a non-profit organization that partnered with The List Project to organize a job search skills conference in Washington, D.C. this week.

Iraqis learned the hard truths about hunting for a job here: human resources managers spend an average of 20 seconds on every resume, personal stories (even the heart-wrenching ones they all have to tell) have no place in a job interview, the economy is terrible, resumes should be limited to a page or two (most of theirs are 3, 4 and 5 pages), and, most difficult for them to hear, don't expect their employers in Iraq to hire them in America.

"Iraqis are having a hard time coming to terms with the reality that while their education and skills were valued in Baghdad, Fallujah, and Basra, they are not valued here," says Jane Leu, Upwardly Global's founder and president. "These people were leaders in Iraq, and they will be leaders here if given the chance. The idea that all immigrants have to pull themselves up by their boot straps is outdated."

Titan Corporation, the single largest employer of Iraqi translators, has not hired even one single Iraqi who has has resettled in America. And while study after study shows how a lack of Arabic translators hurts national security, no Iraqis who worked for the government in Iraq have been hired by the State Department.

"I don't want focus on the negative. I need to move forward," says Emam Al-Timimi who worked for the State Department in Baghdad. Emam may not have her career back yet, but, she says, she does have a job: setting an example for Iraqis who come here in the future. "I want to show them that it is possible to succeed here. I know it is. I hope."

(Listen to NPR report "Iraqi Refugees Struggling to Rebuild Life in America.")

Kirk Johnson on CBS 60 Minutes

Kirk Johnson and The List Project are the focus of Principle Pictures' newest feature documentary. We have been filming with Kirk and the Iraqis on his list since August 2007.

When Kirk Johnson came home from Iraq after working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, he had a plan: get into the best law school he could. But that plan changed when Kirk heard about Ahmed*, an Iraqi colleague who was receiving death threats. Ahmed also worked for USAID, and although he had tried to hide what he did for a living, the militia werfe ollowing him. They branded Ahmed a traitor, left death threats on his door, and forced him to start a life on the run. "I asked my bosses at USAID to transfer me," he says. "I would go anywhere in the world - to any country. But they said, no, we're sorry. If you do not come back to work in Baghdad, you are terminated."

Ahmed would become the first person on Kirk's "List" which has become a huge database of Iraqis who believed in America's vision of building a democratic Iraq. Like so many of the other Iraqis who signed on as interpreters, drivers and reconstruction specialists, Ahmed had grown up watching Hollywood movies, practicing English, and hoping that one day Iraqis would be able to acheive their own version of the American Dream. In the Spring of 2003, it seemed that day had come.

But it didn't take long before the once coveted U.S. work badges became a symbol of "collaboration" with the enemy, and Ahmed and his friends began leading double lives. Ahmed told his family he had quit his job with the Americans, and pretended to go to work every day for an Iraqi company.

A year later the death threat came... punctuated by the severed head of a small dog. The message was - "You're next."

That day, Ahmed and his wife left their home and their country. Not long after, Ahmed and Johnson reconnected. They were two guys who had bonded in the frenzied excitement over Iraq's reconstruction. Together, they had set out to do their part in building a stable, democratic Iraq. And at the time, it hadn't seemed at all naive. Why should it have? At the time, everything seemed possible. But all that had changed. Johnson was back in Chicago after a devastating accident caused by his own post-traumatic stress issues. And Ahmed was running for his life.

Neither could have anticipated it at the time, but finding each other again meant an attempt to fulfill a new dream. Johnson started The List Project to help Ahmed and other Iraqis who have been branded "traitors" by the militias for aiding the U.S.-led war effort. Today, there are more than 1,000 names on Johnson's list. About 40 of them have been allowed into the United States... Ahmed is one of them.

*Ahmed's name has been changed to protect his safety and the safety of his family.

Grand Jury Prize for BEYOND BELIEF

Exciting news from the Indianpolis International Film Festival where BEYOND BELIEF won Best Documentary. Congratulations to THE GREATEST SILENCE: RAPE IN CONGO for being awarded the Eric Parker Social Justice Award.

Where's Monica's Pink Ribbon?

When my friend, Monica*, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 30s, she expected to do what all breast cancer survivors are expected to do: fight it, stay positive, and, above all, never let down her peers by being diagnosed again.

But not long after her daughter was born, Monica's cancer came back. Every doctor's appointment brought more disappointing news about where the disease was spreading. And little by little the pink ribbons and chemo-comraderie that defined her first battle with cancer were gone. The word "survivor" was replaced with "tragedy," and a reporter told her that her story was too depressing for a drive-time audience. "I think it'd be better if you just stopped your story with the birth of your daughter," the reporter advised. Silence. "Is that out of line?"

Out of line? Perhaps. But whose fault is that? The "diagnosis-fight-happy ending" story is exactly the one audiences expect--and want--to hear. While feminism may have helped breast cancer surivors unite, fear continues to allow metastatic patients to be ostracized. And the universally upbeat tone of the breast cancer movement often fails to communicate the strongest message of all: breast cancer is a disease that kills. Indiscriminately.

(*Name has been changed to protect identity.)

Beyond Belief Wins Best Documentary at Sonoma Valley Film Festival

It is no surprise that the Sonoma Valley Film Festival is considered one of the best destination film festivals around. I loved every second of my time there (even when it was 90 degrees on Saturday and finding a glass of wine was easier than tracking down water!). The festival is extremely well organized by people who really care about films and filmmakers. Particularly exciting for me was that my husband, Dennis, and 7-month-old daughter, Isabelle, joined me for the event, and two days before the Awards Ceremony Isabelle started clapping for the first time! So, when BEYOND BELIEF won, she was ready! Read the Sonoma News article here.