Author: Birgit Svensson

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The wreckage of a bombed-out car in Kirkuk, 23 July 2012 (photo: Reuters)

Series of Terrorist Attacks in Iraq

A Culture of Violence

On the fourth day of the holy month of Ramadan, bombs went off simultaneously in 14 Iraqi cities, marking a new peak in al-Qaeda activity since the withdrawal of American troops at the end of last year. The terrorist network is shamelessly exploiting the way people behave during Ramadan, as Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadMore

Iraq after the Withdrawal of US Troops: A ''Stable'' Country Teetering on the BrinkParliamentary Elections in Iraq: A Neck-and-Neck Race for Political PowerInterview with Nuri al-Maliki: "The Time Has Come to Invest in Iraq"
Shefat and her brother Omar (photo: Birgit Svensson)

Syrian Refugees in Iraq

Exodus into the Unknown

Birgit Svensson visits a refugee camp in Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan where she finds Shefat and her brother Omar: they want to tell the world about the terrible things that are happening to the Syrian peopleMore

Syrian Refugees in Turkey: ''Wait until Assad Falls''Iraqi Refugees in Syria: Open Door Policy at Significant Cost
Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi (photo: EPA)

After Yemen's Presidential Election

A Herculean Task

Militia in the north, separatists in the south, al-Qaeda and the return to the country of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh ... the challenges facing Yemen's interim government on the road to democracy are staggering. From Sanaa, Birgit Svensson explains that the country's new leadership is actually fighting a war on four frontsMore

Presidential Election in Yemen: An Experiment in DemocracyThe Yemeni Minister Huria Mashhour: ''The Immunity Law Is an Offence against Everything''Interview with the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman: ''Saleh is the Source of Terror''
Election poster of the presidential candidate Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi (photo: REUTERS)

Presidential Election in Yemen

An Experiment in Democracy

Yemen is voting for a successor to President Saleh, who was overthrown after months of protest. But the only candidate is the vice-president, Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi. And how he can possibly turn into the "Saviour of Democracy" in Yemen remains a mystery. Birgit Svensson reports from SanaaMore

Popular Uprising in Yemen: Saleh, Enemy Number OnePower Struggle in Yemen: A Yemeni Tribal AffairNobel Peace Prize Winner Tawakkul Karman: A Woman Leading Change in Yemen
Ceremony in Baghdad marking the end of US military operations in Iraq (photo: AP)

Iraq after the Withdrawal of US Troops

A ''Stable'' Country Teetering on the Brink

After the withdrawal of the Americans from Iraq, the governing coalition in Baghdad is imploding, the dispute between Shia and Sunni is escalating and several provinces are striving for autonomy. Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadMore

Commentary by Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi: Is Obama Losing Iraq?Interview with the Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul Mahdi: '' We Need Greater Respect for the Constitution''Forming a Government in Iraq: Maliki's Disservice to DemocracyParliamentary Elections in Iraq: A Neck-and-Neck Race for Political Power
Mutanabbi Street Baghdad (photo: Munaf al-Saidy)

The Cultural Scene in Iraq

Returning to Something Like Normality

In the wake of the long years of terror, a vibrant cultural scene is once more flourishing in Iraq. But people still have come to terms with the fact that culture in the 'New Iraq' is becoming more and more privatised. Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadMore

Iraqi Theatre: The Arab Answer to 'Godot'"Death and the Maiden" in Iraq: From Pinochet to Saddam Hussein

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