I've had a hectic few days, which is why I've missed out on posting.  This is a strange time in Baghdad.  The new(er) security plan is shifting into gear, which is something I'll be writing about for Time's next issue.  In the meantime I'm back at the bureau to write and get in some interviews before the end of the week.  A lot of the guys on the staff ended up staying the night, I think because there are more roadblocks up now as part of the latest security push. 

I've said before that I'm wary about writing in much detail about the staff.  Some of them are happy to let people know what they do, but many are taking a real risk by working for a western magazine.  In a lot of ways the staff is representative of the country, or at least of Baghdad.  There are Sunnis and Shiites, very observant Muslims and guys who finish the day with a Scotch on the rocks.  They live all over the city and, in addition to the risks they take working with westerners, face the same dangers as all the other Iraqis living in Baghdad.

The evidence in the bureau is that Iraqis from different sects and different backgrounds, men of strong faith and men of no faith in particular, can live and work together.  But these men live in neighborhoods where bodies turn up in the streets and you must submit to impromptu roadblocks (legit military, insurgent, militia) to move around.  I know some of the Iraqis who work for other bureaus around here and they're in similar situations.  It's painful, sometimes, to wonder where the country will be in six months or a year or five years.  There are a lot of good and capable people in Iraq who can do nothing but hope things get better.

 

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