Do soldiers today have to be braver than those of a generation ago?

Hi, Dan Damon here from  World Update

Next week we’ll be taking a look at bravery in war.

Nearly every day we’re getting reports of more casualties from operations in Afghanistan.

On air: Should women serve on the front line?

When it comes to women serving on the front-lines of conflicts, rules vary. In Israel, women are conscripted and serve along side men in combat roles.

In the Canadian armed forces women, too, serve on the front-lines and have risen the ranks to become officers in combat units.

What questions should the Iraq inquiry ask?

The Chilcot Inquiry into Britain’s role in Iraq begins today.  This time those answering to the public will include high-profile witnesses such as Tony Blair.  

There will be no results until 2010. Almost a decade on will it matter if the government has lied to its citizens about the invasion? And with those testifying not taking an oath, how can citizens be sure they are getting the truth out of their government?

Has Iraq gone back in time ?

    ‘Just when you thought that Iraq was the sideshow and Afghanistan the main event, the far-too-familiar sound of sirens screeching and the bereaved wailing in the streets of Baghdad remind you otherwise…..Yesterday’s attack inevitably raises the question: how fragile is Iraq?”

Are we becoming obsessed with soft news?

Ask anyone what the most important issues in the world are today and one,two or all of the items in the list below are likely to come up. This is no particular order:
Iran, the war in Afghanistan, the economic downturn, Russia, global warming, Pakistan attacks, Middle East peace, China, Iraq

On a global scale, these are the most important stories – yes ?. These are the stories we are most interested in, right? According to one or two indices, wrong.

They are not what we are most interested in, judging by news websites in across the globe.

Is Iraq going backwards?

Iraq is still coming to grips with the deadliest series of attacks in the country this year, which left 95 people dead in the capital Baghdad yesterday. 
And as they reel from those horrors, yet another bomb has reportedly has gone off near a restaurant today, killing another two people.

The prime minister, Nouri Maliki, called Wednesday’s bombings “a desperate attempt to derail the political process” in Iraq and has ordered a security review.  But will a security review make any difference?

On air: Are you celebrating Iraq’s National Sovereignty Day?

Here’s a quote from the first e-mail i opened today :

“the atmosphere down here is feverish and electric, like a huge celebration or something, there’s a mixture of joy, pride, fear, and apprehension.”

The e-mailer is Lubna, our long time WHYS friend and contributor, studying medicine in Baghdad. For many of the WHYS community we’ve seen the story in Iraq through Lubna’s eyes.

On air: Is this justice for the shoe thrower?

Back in December he took out his anger on President Bush by throwing his shoe at him during a trip to Iraq. A grave insult in Arab culture. Today that same journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi, has been jailed for three years for assaulting a Head of State, despite being hailed a hero in the Arab world.

Talking points 18 December

Somalia has been named as the most lawless place in the world, Zimbabwe sits at number 4. Two countries where it’s been argued the international community should intervene, but it hasn’t. So do we have to accept that there are some countries we don’t care enough about?

Talking points 16 Dec

You’ve got to admit he’s got pretty good reactions. President Bush giving a press conference on his final visit to Iraq as US President, had two shoes thrown at him. Iraqi television journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi stood up and shouted “this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog,” before hurling his size tens (showing the soles of shoes to someone is a sign of contempt in Arab culture).