Most recent articles by Birgit Svensson
-
Persecuted Emos in IraqNo Place for Emotions
Since Shiite militia began hunting down followers of the 'Emo' youth movement and according to various sources have already killed 90 of them, they have vanished from the Iraqi capital. Details from Birgit Svensson in Baghdad
-
The Iraqi Education SystemEducation in an Age of Terror
Once renowned throughout the Arab world for the importance it attached to good education, Iraq and its education system have suffered enormously since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein nine years ago. Many intellectuals fled abroad or into the provinces of Iraqi Kurdistan, triggering change in the education system there. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
-
Series of Terrorist Attacks in IraqA 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 Baghdad
-
Syrian Refugees in IraqExodus 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 people
-
After Yemen's Presidential ElectionA 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 fronts
-
Presidential Election in YemenAn 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 Sanaa
-
Iraq after the Withdrawal of US TroopsA ''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 Baghdad
-
The Cultural Scene in IraqReturning 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 Baghdad
-
Political Protests in BahrainThe King's Revenge
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has so far dealt with the protest movement in the Gulf state with the utmost severity. Now the monarch is increasingly coming under pressure to introduce democratic reforms. By Birgit Svensson