With the assassination of two Iraqi government ministers this weekend in advance of the so-called "transfer of power" to Iraqis on June 30, it is important to understand why the various resistance movements in Iraq are continuing to fight. While the Bush administration and much of the corporate media has claimed that it is the attacks are the work of "terrorists and Ba'athist dead-enders," a few reporters have actually sought out members of the various Iraqi resistance movements and are beginning the process of explaining the resistance movement.
The June issue of Harper's magazine has an excellent article on the Iraqi resistance. In the article, "Beyond Fallujah: A Year with the Iraqi Resistance," reporter Patrick Graham interviews members of a number of different resistance "cells" and discusses their reasons for fighting, tactics, and a host of other issues. While it is impossible to determine to what extent the attitudes of any one resistance group reflect those of their supporters and other groups, the group reported on by Graham simply want the occupation of Iraq by the United States military to end. NPR recently ran an interview with Graham that is available online in which he talks about his experiences with the resistance and his Harper's article.
Other articles on the Iraqi Resistance:
- Paul McGeough: Inside the Resistance
- United Press International: Inside the Iraqi Resistance [ part 1 | part 2 ]
Also worth examining is The Iraqi Resistance Update, a site chronicling acts of armed resistance in Iraq.
