To bring peace and stability to Iraq, the new government must win over the Sunnis. But acts like the assault on Fallujah have left the Sunnis feeling victimised and isolated.
An amateur video, recently smuggled out of Iraq, shows some of the only pictures of the siege of Fallujah taken from the townspeople’s point of view. As bodies are placed in their graves, the men erupt in anger and grief. “This is a crusader war against Islam to break Iraq and Fallujah,” despairs one man. Since the creation of Iraq eighty years ago, the Sunni minority have dominated government. Fallujah was their heartland. But now they feel alienated by Iraq’s new, supposedly democratic, politics. For Sunnis like Salam, the occupation is to blame for everything: “There’s no electricity, no fuel, no water…” They are deeply suspicious of the Shi’ites and boycotted the elections. And Allawi’s decision to support the assault on Fallujah did little to quell their fears. “We don’t have anything to do with any of those people,” vows one woman. But although the Sunnis boycotted the elections, representatives are negotiating a role for them in drafting Iraq’s new constitution. The hope is that negotiations will work before the country slips into civil war.
Paul Eedle
Out There News
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Iraq - Return to Kirkuk
- 16 min 00 sec [14 February 2005]
Will the Kurds be satisfied with anything other than independence? We follow one Kurd returning to Kirkuk as he attempts to find out what his countrymen will do next.
“I think the situation is really ripe for an independent Southern Kurdistan,” states Karzan Sherabayani. For the past 24 years, he’s been in exile abroad. Now, he’s returning to vote in the elections. During his visit, Karzan conducts a survey to find out what his fellow Kurds really want. Over 95% vote for a separate Kurdish state. But there’s a growing gap between what the people want and what their politicians are fighting for. Their leaders maintain that the Kurds best interest lies within a federal Iraq. “The surrounding countries and our geography don’t allow for the creation of a Kurdish state,” explains Prime Minister Omar Fatah. There are also fears that the Arabs and ethnic groups who live in Kirkuk will be isolated by any talk of independence.
Karzan Sherabayani
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UK - Viral Infection
- 6 min 31 sec [14 February 2005]
In today’s consumer world, the brand is king. But with many suffering from ‘advertising fatigue’, advertisers are turning to risqué viral marketing to push products.
At first sight, it looks like a normal car ad. A man gets into a sleek new VW Polo and drives to town. Then the camera pans to reveal an explosive belt as the driver detonates a suicide bomb. But bystanders are saved because the blast is contained within the ‘small but tough’ Polo. Internet or viral ads like this are too controversial to ever be seen on tv. They rely on people downloading them and forwarding them on to friends. “It’s really the old fashioned word of mouth marketing’ explains viral message board host Richard Leishmann. And in the no holds barred world of the internet, it is the funniest or most controversial ads that get people talking. “People are far less sensitive about what they see in virals than what they see on television.” explains viral guru Matt Smith.
Lightly Toasted Productions
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Greece - Saving the Bears
- 10 min 46 sec [14 February 2005]
The mountains of Greece once teemed with wild bears. Now, only a few hundred remain. However, one Greek tycoon is determined to help them avoid extinction.
Although bear troupes were outlawed in Greece 35 years ago, it’s only thanks to the actions of Yiannnis Boutaris that the ban has been enforced. He’s founded a bear sanctuary to care for rescued dancing bears. Now he hopes the sanctuary will educate children on the benefits of conservation.
ABC Australia
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North Korea - Flashpoint
- 10 min 40 sec [10 March 2003]
North Korea one of the world’s great weapons proliferators. Yet it’s Iraq which the world is treating as the greatest threat.
Just 12 km away from the North Korean border, the US army prepares for an attack. Colonel Patton is in charge of the training: “We train in all types of conditions because we have to be ready to fight tonight.” The North Korean army has more than 1 million men prepared to fight until the bitter end, with thousands of chemical missiles trained on Seoul and 37,000 Americans on border. However many South Koreans believe it is America that poses the greatest threat to peace for the region. Ha Sang Nam is waiting to be re-united with her brother who has been stranded in the North for 50 years. “I just hope there will be no more wars. We are separated because of the existence of the war.” However German doctor Norbert Vollersten backs Bush. “There is a genocide going on in North Korea. There are crimes against humanity and we have to do something.” An engaging overall look at the current crisis.
ABC Australia
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