OK.. it seems that Chemical Ali has not been captured yet, but the US Marines are hot on his trail..

UK forces have set up a radio station in Basra, called, funnily enough, Radio Basra. The station is overseen by Lt Colonel Mason, a part-time soldier who is also the deputy chairman of Choice FM in London. He says "The sort of product that we are putting out is reassuring people that we're not going to disappear, and that the Saddam Hussein days are numbered".

I was hoping for someone from a cool alternative station like XFM, but this'll do for now..

I tell you people here just don't seem to care... life on the streets is as busy as ever and the restaurants are all packed. I just got back from a nice sushi dinner with friends. I can't explain it, but it's actually a relief that people are going about their lives as normal and not cowering in fear at home.

Peter Arnett, probably the most annoying news correspondent ever, has been fired from NBC and National Geographic; he was their man in northern Iraq. What was he thinking when he gave that interview? He clearly underestimated the backlash his comments would generate, and who can blame him? The daily papers have been saying the same thing for days!

Reports are in that Ali Hassan Majeed, aka "Chemical Ali" may have been captured. Chemical Ali is, of course, better known as the man who orchestrated the dropping of chemical bombs on the Kurds in 1988. He was also "governor" of Kuwait - the so-called 19th province - during the occupation. He may be Saddam's cousin, but when push comes to shove he's as expendable as any other Iraqi.

I know this was supposed to be a simple journal in which I would just report on daily life in Kuwait during this war, but I'm enjoying the writing so forgive me if I've been "editorializing" a bit much. One of my biggest regrets is not having kept a journal during the Iraqi occupation of 1990-91. Of course, back then I didn't even know how to type and didn't own a PC which was just as well because I could've been arrested by the Iraqis for "Computer Possession"..... I am not joking!

And the hits keep coming: I am being taken to task today by some well-meaning friends in Kuwait for being a little bit critical of the US, as if it were some sort of crime. But to my fellow Kuwaitis, I say this: The US sent its young men and women in 1991 as part of a huge international coalition to fight a war that gave us back our country and, most importantly, our freedom. We owe them them a lot for protecting us since then from Saddam's threats of another invasion. But the freedom they returned to us also includes the freedom to speak one's mind, and if we see the US as a friend - and I mostly do - then as friends we should be able to offer constructive criticism, even if it falls on deaf ears. I do believe in gratitude and we are forever grateful; we must never forget, but I am uncomfortable with the servile, flag-waving kind of gratitude currently on display 12 years later. A slight whiff of criticism, and paranoia strikes deep in these people fearing that the US will suddenly pull out its troops and leave us to the wolves, not realizing how insulting it is to the US itself that it should ever be thought of as that petty (this was before Freedom Fries) and not realizing as well that it's in the US's strategic interests to stay put. The coalition that came to our rescue in 1991 also included many other countries, yet - shamefully - our gratitude is reserved only for the Americans... and oh, right, the Brits.

In my opinion, the best way to show gratitude to the forces of liberation, should've been by making Kuwait a better country - a country they did not fight in vain to save, a country worth fighting for again and again. Look around you, and see what we've "accomplished" in the 12 years since liberation: Fundamentalist lunatics have hijacked our lives, women are denied their political rights, our constitution is under threat, our education system is returning us to the Dark Ages churning out hordes of ignorant underachievers, corruption runs unchecked, and our economy is a mess while neighbors flourish...... In other countries there would be riots in the streets but we just can't be bothered. We had everything going for us after the invasion, a chance to rebuild our country and let it rise like the phoenix from the ashes... but alas, apathy and selfishness preserved the status quo. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Life in Kuwait is very comfortable and pleasant, but maybe it's precisely this high quality of life that most of us - myself included - enjoy as individuals that has made us too lazy and too selfish to make a stand for the greater good of our country.....THAT is how we repay our debt to the Allies.

On the drive home I listened to an interview with some Iraqi-Americans all of whom escaped Saddam's rule and support the war to free their homeland, and I thought to myself "It's all worth it, damn it!". It's up to us to make sure the nightmare scenarios I listed in my previous post don't actually happen. We have to make sure that the new Iraq is a strong country run by its own people and decides its own future.

I've been thinking long and hard about this war and trying to see what future awaits us through the haze of battles and rhetoric. Here in Kuwait, we're in the extra-delicate position of trying to balance our belonging to the Arab World with our own security interests. Agitators of all stripes (Islamist, leftist, etc.) across the Middle East are branding us as traitors, with some even calling for Kuwait to be bombed for acting as the launching ground for the coalition forces "invading" Iraq. No doubt the 15 (and counting) missile attacks we've had to endure have given these fools something to celebrate. Our only consolation is that after this war is won by the coalition and Iraqis are freed from Saddam's evil grip, there will be a huge outbreak of "foot-in-mouth disease" across the Middle East as these same agitators struggle to eat their words and try to make amends to the Iraqi people for protesting against the war that set them free.

However... I have to come clean and admit that if I belonged to another Arab county, say Egypt or Lebanon, my feelings toward this war would very likely be very different. I can't honestly blame Arabs for having their passions inflamed at the thought of war wrought on another Arab country, and by relentless images of death and destruction beamed at them day and night courtesy of Al-Jazeera and other news channels. It is through tough times like these that all rational thought flies out the window. Why, for instance, can't everyone take a step back and examine the root causes of this mess? Why can't anyone acknowledge the hundreds of thousands killed by Saddam's regime? Are they making up for their long silence while he slaughtered his population for three decades by suddenly showing concern for the "Iraqi people"? Where was that concern before?! Or as my cousin Abdul-Latif put it in his column today: "Are the Arabs upset that the coalition is liberating the very people they ignored?" The sad truth is they didn't care before.. but not for the reasons one might expect. You see, most Arab countries are milder versions of Saddam's Iraq. Their citizens are used to this sort of life albeit on a smaller scale, so when anyone gets worked up over Saddam's brutality they simply shrug it off. Only last night on Lebanon's LBC channel, a female Lebanese lawyer called into a chat show and hailed the Iraqi people and their great leader(!!). It's one thing to express support for the Iraqi people - as we all do - but quite another to cheer their leader. How on earth could she hail the people and the leader who's slaughtering them in one breath?! This woman had better hope nobody in Iraq caught her tirade, because after the war they will hunt her down!

Of course - you've read/heard this ad nauseam - the main reason this war is so vehemently opposed in the Arab world is because - you guessed it - it's driven solely by the "evil USA", the "Great Satan", and looking at America's track record in the region would give anyone the "jitters", to say the least. As far as Arabs are concerned, America's refusal to act as an honest broker in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict gives them no reason to trust its intentions in this war. They view the coalition as invading imperialists aiming to occupy an Arab country and suck its resources dry. I reject the "War against Islam" arguement, since anyone with half a brain can see that it can't be a "crusade" when even the Pope objects to it so loudly (unless it's a "Born-Again Christian" crusade, in which case... run for the hills!!). People have selective memories for better or worse; it's human nature. Why can't they acknowledge America's role in rescuing Kosovo's Muslim population from Serbian aggression?Why wasn't that seen as a "crusade"?

And let us not discount George W. Bush's failure to inspire any Arab confidence in his declared intentions. The lack of consistency in his stated objectives - one day it's regime change, the next disarmament - must surely arouse suspicion in even the most pro-American of Arabs. A close look at his advisors also gives Arabs plenty of reasons for alarm and suspicion. From Donald Rumsfeld's ties to Saddam in the 1980's to the group of rabidly pro-Likud neo-consrvative chicken-hawks led by Perle, Wolfowitz, Feith et al. currently driving this war. And before any of you out there scream "ANTI-SEMITISM!!" let me warn you that my several Jewish friends will come kick your ass if you do. These advisors are certainly entitled to their views and they can support anyone from Israel to Greenland for all I care, but it shows a glaring contempt for the Arab world to have them advise on mideast policy and advocate war. Bush's speeches of late have concentrated on the liberation of the Iraqi people, a truly admirable goal which - if meant sincerely and done right - would eventually turn Bush into a hero - at least in Iraq. But then we turn around and see who he's lined up to administer Iraq after the war, whatever that means, and it just makes us pull our hair! How could Bush appoint a man so pro-Israel to this crucial and highly sensitive position? I'm not begrudging Mr. Garner his views - he's free to support whoever he likes - but someone with his outlook is unfit to administer Iraq and could only cause further trouble.

I could go on and on... but I really should get back to work now, so I'll pick up this discussion later.

You can tell I'm going out and about a bit more than I was last week, can't you? ;-)

HOW PATHETIC!! Can these people's lives be so empty that they're willing to sacrifice everything for a bunch of thugs who would kill them if they so much as looked at them the wrong way? If they really want to fight for a "cause", why the hell can't they join an Iraqi uprising against the dictator? I wish someone would ask them that on live TV.

Have they started yet? I'm talking about terrorist attacks on coalition forces. A pick-up truck just charged into a group of US soldiers at the Udairi camp in northern Kuwait. No word yet on who drove the truck or what nationality he held.

The Wall Street Journal has a terrific article on the Kuwaiti firefighters who put out the first oil fires in souther Iraq last Monday. Unfortunately you have to be a paid subscriber to view it so I'll just quote a few choice excerpts:

"As oil-well fires were raging here last weekend, Brian Krause, president of Boots & Coots International Well Control Inc., was on hand to boast that his team of Texas firefighters would need just a few weeks to douse the blazes. But as the 47-year-old Mr. Krause talked -- decked out in his company's trademark red coveralls -- a team of Kuwaiti firefighters was already moving its equipment into Iraq's second-largest oil field, now under U.S. and British control. Braving minefields and ignoring reports of Iraqi guerrillas in the area, the Kuwaitis snuffed out the first fire on Monday, days before Mr. Krause was ready to roll. "We had all our equipment ready, and Boots & Coots didn't," says Aisa A. Bou Yabes, the chief firefighter for the state-owned Kuwait Oil Co. Mr. Bou Yabes, a 46-year-old with a long, graying beard, nonchalantly mentions that his men cleared away some cluster bombs by themselves."



"Mr. Krause, whose 11-member team hasn't been able to start fighting fires yet in Iraq because it's been waiting for equipment, has been impressed with the Kuwaitis' early efforts. "They said, 'Shoot, we'll go ahead and start working,' " he marvels. The Kuwaitis are good firefighters, he says, but adds: "On real, real, real critical wells, they'll call us in." So far, the Kuwaitis haven't needed much help. With blasts from two water cannons, Mr. Bou Yabes and his 30-member team snuffed their first fire early this week in 15 minutes. The next day, the team capped the gushing oil well. Fierce sandstorms appeared temporarily to have damped three other raging fires in recent days, though the wells still need to be properly extinguished and capped. Meanwhile, American oil-field contractors spent much of the week trying to line up trucks, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, and secure a reliable water supply. Holed up in the Crown Plaza hotel in Kuwait City, they were also waiting for U.S. troops to secure the fields after hearing unconfirmed reports of a firefight between coalition soldiers and Iraqi troops. "I don't see any hostile forces," shrugged Mr. Bou Yabes, speaking from a cellphone a few hundred yards from the reported site of a battle the evening before."

"The Kuwaitis are now coordinating their work under an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Unlike the Texan contractors, the Kuwaiti company isn't getting paid by the U.S. for its firefighting services. They say their help is a gesture of friendship to the Iraqi people, but Kuwait also wanted to prevent pollution risks and damage to the underground oil reservoirs, which it shares with Iraq. "They just showed up. It was a real surprise to me," says Ray Rodon, the project manager here for a Houston-based unit of Halliburton Co., which has been hired by the U.S. to supervise firefighting efforts"

Mr. Bou Yabes battled fires in Kuwait alongside the founders of Boots & Coots, Asger "Boots" Hansen and Edward "Coots" Matthews, both now retired. In 1991, Mr. Bou Yabes remembers Texans betting that his team couldn't put out one particularly nasty tower of flame and smoke in Kuwait's burning fields. They did. Friday, the Texans plan to begin battling the fires alongside the Kuwaitis. Both sides downplay any rivalry. Still, "there's some of that manliness, like we don't want the other guy to finish before us," Mr. Krause says, referring to Mr. Bou Yabes. "He'd be lying if he didn't tell you that, too"

And here's the Washington Post's David Ignatius confirming our worst fears, and echoing Makiya's depiction of a country ruled by fear and sheer terror.

Ignatius knows of what he speaks. As a former middle east correspondent he has seen his fair share of action in Iraq and Lebanon in the 1980's. I've always wondered why his book The Bank of Fear was never made into a film; it's a great read (I finished it in 2 days!) and has all the makings of a modern spy thriller. Who knows how Hollywood types think anyway?

Here's Kanaan Makiya's latest entry, a truly terrifying description of the notorious and dreaded Fedayeen Saddam. If you're wondering why uprisings haven't yet happened all over Iraq, this entry will explain why. "The Fedayeen training in the infamous camps of Salman Pak.... is characterized by its intensity and its deliberate attempts, through psychological means, to isolate recruits from society at large and transform them into a fiercely disciplined and deliberately cruel force. The training instills in recruits a sense of paranoia, the feeling that the very precariousness of the regime is a personal threat to them. This is a force that sees plots against the regime everywhere, even though the regime is all-powerful over them. This paranoia soon turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, since the people they terrorize would gladly rip them limb from limb if they got half a chance. The Fedayeen, in other words, is a force that knows what fate awaits it after liberation.... unlike the regular army, they will therefore fight to the finish".

Let's talk about Al-Jazeera, shall we? It was created in 1996 in response to the growing demand for hard-hitting news and the growing weariness and distaste for dull government-controlled news. A fair objective, if you ask me. When Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in 1990, Arab government news channels pretended the whole thing didn't happen and avoided the subject for 3 days. Imagine! An Arab country gets invaded and taken over by a neighboring Arab country and it doesn't even make the news!! This would never happen today and I would like to think that Al-Jazeera - or the many stations formed in its wake - would be first on the scene with that particular breaking news item.

Since its first broadcast, Al-Jazeera has drawn fire from many governments in the Arab world, not used to its blunt and frank coverage. For the first time ever, Arab viewers were treated to the breaking news of the day without having to sit through the coma-inducing coverage of their leaders' "guests" or "visiting dignitaries" confirming mutual relationships or other such nonsense. But it is mostly their editorial work and not their news coverage that has drawn the most fire. On programs such as "Opposite Direction" the host relishes in pitting two extreme points of view against each other, where he literally inflames the discussion from the word "go". More often than not, these shows descend into screaming matches - his guests not being used to civil discourse on TV and forgetting that the cameras are rolling. Arab viewers, brought up on rote government spin, were drawn to this curious new phenomenon in much the same way Americans are drawn to Jerry Springer's daily freakshow.

Ever since its foundation from the ruins of the BBC's Arabic News Service, I have passionately defended Al-Jazeera as the bravest news network in the Arab world, and always felt that we need more stations like this and not less. Many Kuwaitis have repeatedly complained that it is too blatantly anti-Kuwaiti and too biased in favor of Iraq. Again, we were not used to being criticized on live TV and I always felt that we were being a bit childish for not having things our way. But one positive side-effect is that it has woken us up from our deep slumber and forced us to fight back and fight hard to present our case to the Arab world, and for that I have to (reluctantly) thank Al-Jazeera. It's ripple effect can be felt across the region as more news outlets are formed to compete with it, and this competition for viewership has meant more news and less fluff - well, almost. An unfortunate side-effect is that, once balanced news channels like Abu Dhabi and the new Al-Arabiya have adopted the no-holds-barred style of Al-Jazeera so that anyone looking for straight news devoid of sensationalism won't find much to choose from.

What upsets me, however, about Al-Jazeera is its claim to be the only truly independent uncensored Arab news channel when it's anything but. I also hate that the Western media seem to buy that line wholesale. If it was truly independent then all Arab countries should be fair game for criticism. Qatar, its host, is off-limits and for some inexplicable reason so is Iraq - a regime that defies belief in its well-documented brutality. For example, way before this war was even planned, its reporters made a habit of making snide remarks, devoid of objectivity about Kuwait, belittling our claims against Iraq and literally scolding us to "get over it!!"... whereas Iraq's responsibility for the mess we're in goes unnoticed. Kuwait is now attacked for being the launching ground of the coalition forces in this current war, an act of treason in the eyes of Al-Jazeera, yet somehow the fact that Qatar is where CENTCOM is based goes without comment. And I've given enough space in this blog to the nauseating Abdel-Bari Atwan... so the less said about him, the better.

Western media and governments always used to criticize Al-Jazeera for its coverage of the Palestinian uprising (Intifada), forgetting that Arabs need a pro-Palestinian news outlet to counter the pro-Israeli western news channels. I won't get into that subject here, but suffice it to say that it has emboldened Al-Jazeera to go against the grain of both western and Arab media. Never has this been more clear than it is now. It is one thing to claim to deliver the news from an "Arab perspective", but it is quite another to defend the Iraqi regime so blatantly and blanket this defense in concern for the Iraqi people. If Al-Jazeera and its many talking heads were truly concerned for innocent Iraqis caught in the horror of battle, they could have used its considerable influence to rally Arab public opinion against Iraq's dictatorship many years ago. Instead, in an irresponsible grab for ratings, it has become the mouthpiece for an evil regime, and practically portrayed Saddam as a hero. I'd love to see how Iraqis, eventually freed from his tyranny, will feel towards Al-Jazeera.

Having let all that off my chest, I would be even more disappointed if Al-Jazeera was shut down by pressure from angry Arab governments. If we truly aspire to a free and democratic Arab world where information flows freely, then we need more channels like Al-Jazeera and not less. In its defense, it has been instrumental in providing information about Osama Bin Laden, and its contacts with Al-Qaeda have actually helped in the war against terrorism. It's also the only news channel to regularly interview Israeli officials, though I'm not sure what good came out of that. Yes, they do need to be more objective and less hostile and they do need to stop defending Saddam so vigorously. I truly hope they will mature into a more balanced news channel. After all, they're only 6 years old - and they're acting their age.

So now Saddam is sending suicide bombers to carry out targetted assassinations. I never thought that was his style, but I suppose desperate measures...etc.

This war is not turning out according to the Pentagon's plans. It seems Rumsfeld, in his usual brusque manner, had put aside concerns by top military brass over the number of ground troops required for this campaign. War is never easy to plan - as well it shouldn't be - but surely Rumsfeld the civilian could've heeded the advice of the seasoned military experts in his team.

I think I'm coming down with early Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. My right forearm muscles are giving me a hard time; I bet it's all this damn blogging! Your tips to combat this condition are most welcome.

Just downloaded Lenny Kravitz's anti-war song "We Want Peace"... The lyrics? Well, Lets just say Bob Dylan doesn't have much to worry about. The press release says it's a collaboration with Iraqi singer Kazem Al-Sahir... but his contribution is only a little break in the middle. As a piece of music it's actually a lot of fun, with great percussion and Kravitz'z trademark rhythm guitar...Can't wait to hear it at parties!

Israel says it is willing to send humanitarian aid to Iraq as part of a broad UN effort. I don't know what the Israelis are thinking, but I sincerely wish that they'd stay out of this.. for obvious reasons!

Iran had its largest anti-war demonstration yesterday, and the Arab masses could do well to learn a few things from the Iranians. While they engaged in the now-tiresome ritual of burning effigies of Bush and Blair, they at least had the decency to burn one of Saddam Hussein as well; Iranians being no fans of his..

What's really going on in Basra? Conflicting reports from the various news channels; is it finally under control or is it not? 2 Saddam statues have been destroyed - a highly symbolic act, more likely to piss off Saddam than news of civilian deaths.

Meanwhile....... back in Afghanistan, there's a lot of unfinished business.

Uh-oh... come on guys! You're almost there, so hang on!

If anyone out there in the Arab world has any doubts about Kuwait's free press, today would be a good day for a run through the papers to see for yourself what we're made of. Up till today, the press had been showing remarkable restraint in responding to the hostile attacks and insults being hurled at us from all over the Arab world. Today, however, the gloves have come off and we're "giving as good as we're getting". I will attempt to summarize a few of today's notable editorials in Al-Qabas - in my humble opinion, Kuwait's best daily newspaper.

Arab visitors, please click here for Al-Qabas's website and go to the "Kuttab" (columnists) section... I was waiting to see what Dr. Ahmad Al-Rubei had to say about how his live interview was cut off the air last Wednesday night. I know the man personally, and trust me, you do NOT want to get on his bad side - he will rip you to shreds but with facts and figures not noise and bluster. Anyway, I see he's taken the high road and chosen not to address the issue. Instead he calls on Kuwaitis not to despair in these difficult times and not to lose faith in our cause in the face of the hostility directed at us. We are on the right side of this issue and the truth will prevail.

My cousin Abdul-Latif Al-Duaij (my favorite columnist) asks if Arab nations opposing this war can see beyond their noses. He says that they have, in effect, raised their voices in support of brutal totalitarians everywhere and confirmed to the world that this the system that they prefer to live under...... The toughest editorial by far today comes from my other cousin Hassan Al-Essa who took the Syrian regime to task and probably said what nobody's had the guts to say to them in a long time. To sum up, he lambasted them for their claims that Iraq's sovereignty was under threat while they have been manipulating Lebanon's sovereignty since the civil war came to an end, not to mention forcing Lebanon to fight a war with Israel by proxy to regain the Golan Heights, and suffering Israeli attacks in return.

This war is just as much a war of words as it is a war of guns and bombs, and no doubt we'll be subjected to many attacks in the days, weeks and months to come. Opinions are so polarized across the Arab world alone that it will take years to heal the rifts wrought by this war.

Here are links to Kuwait's other daily papers: Al-Watan, Al- Rai Al-Aam, Al-Seyassah... and the liberal weekly Al-Talea. And here are links to our two English dailies Kuwait Times, and Arab Times

Strange weather today.. it's sunny but the sky toward the north is an ominous gray. The wind is blowing from the north so it could be smoke from oil fires in southern Iraq.

I'm in Newsweek!!. OK, it's only a Web Exclusive meaning it's only on their website, and not in the print edition but it's cause for excitement, no?

Just as I was getting supremely bored with the Internet and even left my previous job because of said boredom (among other reasons not suitable for discussion here), I discover this whole new world of "Blogging". I have no idea how I caught Newsweek's attention, but this is just proof how pervasive Blogging has become and that word quickly spreads if people like your site (You like me!! You really like me!!).

So... my fellow Kuwaitis, if you're reading this and feel you have something to share with the rest of the world, start your own Blog now!

I woke up this morning to find a few emails and text messages from friends in the US asking about a missile attack on a popular shopping mall. I had no idea about anything because I don't live near that mall and the sirens didn't go off. I heard later it's because the missile flew in too low. Hmm..

The missile struck the popular Souk Sharq mall, which is right on the bay at 1.45 a.m. Fortunately at that hour there weren't too many people there. The shops were, of course, closed and the few people that were there were probably catching a late show at one of the cinemas. 2 people were injured, a Kuwaiti and an Egyptian...Again, I didn't hear anything because I was asleep like a log. I wonder if the missile was intended for the Foreign Ministry which is right next door... or perhaps a symbolic attack on a nation of shoppers? ;-)



Seriously though, this puts into question what exactly is going on in southern Iraq. Why do they still have missile launching capability? And maybe this will finally put some fear into our careless population - myself included - and keep us away from strategically located shopping centers. I heard Souk Sharq was buzzing yesterday afternoon, because the weather was so nice and people were enjoying themselves at the several outdoor cafes. Oh well...

It had to happen... Live from Baghdad, it's Saddam's Cyber Palace, his very own weblog. It's a bit obscene and has something to offend everyone but it's very funny too. I've added it to my permanent links on the sidebar - check out the other links too.

Apologies for the shortage today..... it was too nice outside to spend the day in front of a PC.

This weblog, Altercation is generally anti-war but I like it anyway. A few days ago, commenting on anti-war demonstrations across the Arab world, he took a light-hearted swipe at Kuwait where he says "demonstrations are barred"

Scroll all the way down to View From Kuwait to see my reply. At the time I sent it to him I thought the little demonstration that took place the other day was cancelled. Anyway, I told him that demonstrations are simply not in our national character.... although maybe they should be, and besides, much as we all hate war - if it means getting rid of Saddam's regime then the ends justifies the means.

‘Burdened by the Controversy’, Richard Perle has resigned from his post as Chairman of the Defense Policy Board and not a minute too soon!

I wonder if my rants against him had anything to do with it ;-)

It's a beautiful day today, at last. The dust has disappeared and we have our famous bright blue sky and blinding sunshine.

Here's Kanaan Makiya again. In his diary today he says "Do not believe any commentator who says that a rising surge of "nationalism" is preventing Iraqis from greeting U.S. and British troops in the streets with open arms. What is preventing them from rising up and taking over the streets of their cities is confusion about American intentions and fear of the murderous brown-shirt thugs known as the Fedayeen Saddam, who are leading the small-arms-fire attacks on American and British soldiers."

This man knows what he's talking about and you really must read his diary.

Click here to read about "De-Baathification" a new term coined by leading Iraqi opposition figures in which they imply that Iraq needs to be cleansed of all Baath party influence, which is a monumental task. The article, the latest posting from Kanaan Makiya, also explains the difference between Baathists and Baath Party members.

If anyone can articlulate the long and winding road ahead of Iraq, it's Makiya.

Convoy hijacked in aid 'disaster': The aid trucks that were sent to Iraq yesterday were hijacked by mobs of starving Iraqis, and the whole well-intentioned operation descended into total chaos.



The Kuwaiti Red Crescent hopes the next round of aid will be better organized.

My brother and I were out in the car this around 11 am when we heard the All-Clear siren... which means, you guessed it, we didn't hear the real one!! Apparently there were 3 loud explosions very close to the city (which we also didn't hear in the car!). It turned out that 3 missiles were fired at us from Iraq but landed the other side of the bay.

I'm losing patience!

This weather is demotivating, war or no war... dust everywhere. It snowed in Lebanon, and even Jerusalem looked peaceful for once in the snow.... oh to be skiing in Faraya now.

I asked my brother to get me the book Jarhead, by Anthony Swofford. It's the story of an aimless teenager who joined the marines for kicks only to find himself shipped to the Gulf in 1990-91 to fight in the war to liberate Kuwait. So I now have a nice hard-back version to keep me entertained over the next few weeks, though I doubt it'll actually be "entertaining" in that sense. Harrowing is more likely..

ARE THESE PEOPLE INSANE?!

Lebanon's Future TV had a live interview with one of Kuwait's best and most articulate personalities; Ahmad Al-Rubei PhD, who is also member of parliament, a columnist, and a former minister of education as well as professor of political science. Joining him was retired general Saber Sowaidan from the Kuwaiti Army. Anyway, there was Dr. Al-Rubei answering all the tough questions in his inimitable style when suddenly they cut off to the news and never returned. Instead they showed some old documentary that has nothing to do with this war!

I hope I'm wrong but this is very suspicious. Anyway, we'll find out the truth tomorrow, and if there's any foul play he'll surely write a scathing column about the whole affair very soon. Stay tuned...

I'm really worried that the longer this war goes on, the deeper the split and turmoil across the Arab world. If it was really quick and decisive, the masses wouldn't have time to keep regrouping for more protests. And try as we can to get our point across to them, it's falling on deaf ears...

The sirens went on earlier.... they were met with total indifference. My brother who arrived today was taken aback by people's carelessness. I said "you ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Caught a bit of President Bush's pep rally for the troops in Florida... He was basically preaching to the choir but did he have to get those fucking rednecks Daryl Worley and Tobey Keith to perform?

Humanitarian Aid trucks from Kuwait are arriving in Safwan, at the border. Total pandemonium as starving Iraqis clamor for whatever they can get their hands on.



The Arabic writing on the box says "From the people of Kuwait to the people of Iraq".... 'nuff said.

A horrifc bomb strike at a crowded market in northern Baghdad.. 15 people killed; the largest civilian death toll in a single strike. My heart sank when I heard.. it was way off-target.

On Sky News, an interview with Sharif Hussein. If Iraq decides on a constitutional monarchy (highly unlikely), he's first in line for the throne.

Better late than never, I suppose, but hats off to our very own Kuwait TV who have wisely decided to publicize Kuwait's humanitarian efforts in support of the beleagured people of Iraq. Both the government and private citizens have donated food and supplies... Not only that, but KTV has its very own Iraqi correspondent up in nothern Iraq and has been a regular forum for Iraqi opposition figures to have their voices heard.

Will this be enough to get the foolish Arab masses off our backs? Highly unlikely, but miracles can happen. Stay tuned...

I never thought I'd read this in The Independent, of all places.... This article tells the story of a young American pastor who was so oppposed to the war that he traveled to Iraq to become a human shield. He returned last week "shocked back into reality" upon learning that Iraqis want this war more than anything else.



My favorite quote from the article: "If you honestly oppose the war and think you can defend your stance to the people suffering under Saddam, dial 00964 and then guess an 11-digit number. Ask the civilians there what they want to happen. Go on. Tell them that you oppose the war, and see what they say".

One of the more poignant text messages making the rounds here yesterday (translated from Arabic): "They burned our oil fields and we put one out for them. They looted our country and we supply them with food and medicine. God bless Kuwait"

Amen to that! And here's proof...

I urge everyone (yes, that includes YOU!) to listen to this heartbreaking interview with 3 Iraqi exiles whose names have been changed for fear of reprisal. Their position on the war is unwavering: Destroy Saddam's regime by any means possible.

It's a tragedy that these articulate voices are not able to express themselves freely even outside Iraq. From the conversation, you can easily tell that these are highly educated people and anyone familiar with the history of Iraq knows that there are many more just like them, driven out of Iraq by the thugs now in power....Iraq had everything going for it: The world's second largest oil reserves, 2 great rivers, agricultural riches, magnificent historical and archeological sites, a well-educated population, an established tradition of art, poetry, music, literature and architecture, beautiful scenery in the north... All this was squandered by Saddam and his goon squad in his reign of terror of the past 30 years.

Iraqi state television has been knocked off the air... and just as I was starting to enjoy the ridiculous songs praising the great leader Saddam. They make for great comedy!

Boycott 102: To confirm my sister's Shout Out below, here's an article dissecting the wisdom of Arabs boycotting American products. At the beginning of the article, I reluctantly felt an admiration for taking the stand. By the time I got to the end, I realized I was wrong..

Lovely weather we're having here... the sandstorm that blew its way through Baghdad yesterday has arrived in Kuwait. Visibility is terrible; my brother's flight from Bahrain is stuck there till the afternoon. I don't recall ever seeing sandstorms in March throughout my entire life... June and July are the usual times; this does not bode well for the summer.

Is Abdel-Bari Atwan for real? Just as I predicted, there he was on Al-Jazeera saying that the sandstorm in Baghdad was God's work because he is on the side of the Iraqi regime. If you missed my open letter to him... click here.

It turned out that demonstration that I thought was a rumor did take place in the afternoon... about 400 people marched in terrible weather to express solidarity with the Iraqi people and to denounce the foolish Arab masses. From what I saw on the news, there weren't many American or British flags. They must have read my instructions from yesterday.... Also, you can tell we're not used to this sort of thing... the banners were hastily scribbled and you could barely read what they said. Kind of endearing, actually...

Another group of people demonstrated outside the Libyan embassy in response to a mob of Libyans storming our embassy in Tripoli, taking down the Kuwaiti flag and raising the Iraqi flag in its place!

When the new wing broke away from the old mansion. An amazing short story by Jonathan Franzen (who wrote The Corrections), about Europe and America.... Pure genius!

How in the world could I ever forget the hysterically funny The Onion? In the madness of the past few days, I forgot to see what my favorite source of news has to say about current events. This week sees its special War Edition..... its definitely anti-war but still funny. I wish the demonstrators had this sense of humour...

At last.... the infamous Saddam Rap that's making the rounds here. It's produced by an Iraqi living in the USA. You need Real Player to hear it. You also need to speak both Arabic and English to appreciate it. ENJOY!

I just read this on CNN.com about Arab Backlash mounting on Kuwait, and it depressed me to no end... my only consolation is that Iraqis will be free soon and they will turn against anyone who objected to their liberation.