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Playlist: War News Radio's Spring 2009 Pieces

Compiled By: War News Radio

 Credit:

Features on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan produced by War News Radio during Spring 2009

WNR: Finding Refuge in Jaramanah

From War News Radio | 04:11

From "Taking Flight" (March 6, 2009): War News Radio reports on how an influx of Iraqi refugees has shaped one neighborhood of Damascus.

Wnrpodart_medium As violence and sectarian conflict began to take hold of Iraq in the years after the U.S. invasion, many Iraqis fled their homes for safer destinations both inside and outside the country. The exodus dramatically altered the makeup of many Iraqi towns and neighborhoods. But the refugees also changed the color of the cities they moved to. Jaramanah in Damascus is one such neighborhood home to many newly arrived Iraqis. War News Radio's Gabriel Ramirez has more on what the war has meant for this neighborhood and its residents.

The piece was first featured in "Taking Flight" on March 6, 2009.

WNR: The State of the Iraqi Air Force

From War News Radio | 04:33

From "Taking Flight" (March 6, 2009): War News Radio takes a look at the current state of the Iraqi Air Force, and learns that training new pilots hasn't been the highest priority.

Wnrpodart_medium Most attention has been focused on the readiness of the Iraqi army and police, but they're only part of Iraq's military, which still relies on U.S. planes for vital air support.  War News Radio's Jess Engebretson and Elizabeth Threlkeld check in on the status of the Iraqi Air Force, and ask if and when the Iraqis will be able to take on the task of patroling the country's skies.

The piece was first featured in "Taking Flight" on March 6, 2009.

WNR: Boy Scouts in Iraq

From War News Radio | 07:25

From "On My Honor" (February 27, 2009): War News Radio reports on one American's efforts to help bring scouting back to post-Saddam Iraq.

Wnrpodart_medium Though most people wouldn't associate the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts with Iraq, the country actually has a long scouting tradition. During the reign of Saddam Hussein, the Baath party began using scouting as a military training program for young Iraqis. As a result, Iraqi scouting lost its official standing, but it may soon get it back. War News Radio's Kyle Goeckner-Wald reports on the efforts currently under way to re-establish Iraq's scouting tradition.

The piece was first featured in "On My Honor" on February 27, 2009.

WNR: The War on Stage

From War News Radio | 05:29

From "Center Stage" (February 20, 2009): War News Radio profiles an independent theater production that examines the ways the national media shapes conversations about the Iraq War between individuals.

Wnrpodart_medium As the media continues to dominate national conversation, some people have responded to the Iraq War through artistic expression. For three years, the Nonsense Company, an independent theater group based in California, has been traveling around the country, raising questions about media and public discourse in unusual ways. War News Radio's Dani Noble traveled to Philadelphia to meet with the group and see their experimental piece.

The piece was first featured in "Center Stage" on February 20, 2009.

WNR: Afghanistan and Pakistan's Swat Valley

From War News Radio | 06:23

From "Center Stage" (February 20, 2009): War News Radio speaks with Radio Free Europe's Helena Malikyar about negotiations that began in late February between the Pakistani government and militants in the country's northwest region, and its effects on neighboring Afghanistan

Wnrpodart_medium In late February, the Pakistani government engaged in controversial negotiations with militants in the volatile Swat Valley. War News Radio's Emily Hager spoke with Helena Malikyar, a journalist who covers Afghanistan for Radio Free Europe, to find out more about what the negotiations might mean for Pakistan, and for Afghanistan's security.

The piece was first featured in "Center Stage" on February 20, 2009.

WNR: Trouble for Palestinian Iraqis

From War News Radio | 07:43

From "Men in the Sun" (May 1, 2009): War News Radio reports on Palestinian Iraqis who struggled to escape persecution in Iraq.

Wnr_small When Israel was established in 1948, Palestinian refugees scattered across the Arab world.  Many came to Iraq, where they they settled down and raised their families. 

Under Saddam Hussein, Palestinian Iraqis were perceived as being favored by the government because they were Sunni.  With the start of the war in 2003, a backlash of violence and discrimination forced them to leave the country. 

Many of these Palestinians never officially became Iraqi citizens, and now, their legal status has been making it difficult to find refuge in other parts of the world. War News Radio's Gabriel Ramirez filed this report.

This piece was featured in "Men in the Sun" on May 1, 2009.

WNR: Sgt. Chuck's Tour of Iraq

From War News Radio | 06:24

From "Six Years In" (March 20, 2009): War News Radio features the story of an U.S. soldier who found himself in the Sunni Triangle in April of 2003.

Wnrpodart_medium War News Radio's Madeleine Abromowitz speaks with a U.S. soldier who served in Iraq in the first months of the war and found himself frustrated by the Army's flawed approach to winning hearts and minds.

The piece was first featured in "Six Years In" on March 20, 2009.

WNR: Iraqis Reflect on Iraq War's 6th Anniversary

From War News Radio | 05:06

From "Six Years In" (March 20, 2009): War News Radio hears from two Baghdad residents about how the Iraq War has shaped their country.

Wnrpodart_medium For many Americans, the Iraq War has been a story of bleak headlines and shifting policy.  But Americans tend to take a wide-angle view of the conflict.  For Iraqis, the experience has been much more immediate.  War News Radio's Hansi Lo Wang and Emily Hager spoke to two Iraqis living in Baghdad about how they see the last six years and the changes the war has brought.

The piece was first featured in "Six Years In" on March 20, 2009.