Beginning April 4th, a Shiite militia run by the militant cleric
Moktada al-Sadr waged a violent uprising in several southern Iraqi
cities. Over the next week the fighting spread, culminating in the
death of almost 100 Coalition soldiers. Many foreign workers and
reporters have been kidnapped as well. There have been signs of
tactical coordination between Shiite and Sunni militias fighting
Coalition forces. Previously, the insurgency in Iraq has largely
been viewed as consisting of a small number of hard-core loyalists
to Saddam Hussein, as well as some foreign fighters. The recent
violence has featured thousands of Iraqis taking to the streets, and
has the potential to set off a much larger popular uprising against
the Coalition. It highlights the intense anti-Americanism and
frustration with the CPA felt by Iraqis, as well as the inadequacy
of Iraqi police forces, which by and large disappeared with the
approach of Sadr’s militia, leaving the fighting to the
Coalition.
A map showing the most recent
violence by Muqtada al-Sadr's militia and the Sunni uprisings.
Defense Department Operational
Briefing
An April 7, 2004 Briefing by Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld on the recent uprisings in southern and western Iraq.
President Addresses the Nation
in Prime Time Press Conference
President Bush's April 13, 2004 speech to the nation, affirming
the US commitment to Iraq despite the recent violence. Includes
question and answer section.
Instability in Iraq; Initiatives in the Middle East
Heartland
An April 12, 2004 discussion of the recent violence in Iraq by
the Brookings Institute's Saban Center for Middle East Policy.
IRAQ: On The Precipice of
Failure? 
An April 14 2004 Center for Strategic and International Studies
discussion of current Iraqi violence.
The Specter of Sectarian and Ethnic Unrest in Iraq
The ominous specter of sectarian and ethnic unrest in Iraq is
growing more visible as the country struggles to forge a new
identity and system of rule in the wake of Saddam Hussein's
downfall. Though such unrest did not explode immediately after the
end of the former regime, as some commentators had predicted, in the
past few months, Sunni and Shiite Arabs have clashed in Baghdad.
Tensions are also on the rise between Kurds, Sunni Arabs and
Turkomans in the ethnically mixed and oil-rich regions around the
northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul.
News Conference with Secretary
Rumsfeld and NATO Secretary General
News Conference with Secretary Rumsfeld and NATO Secretary
General. 6 April 2004. Rumsfeld answers questions on flare-ups in
Fallujah—what will they do in response? How have the reacted?
Should NATO get involved? Do we need more troops?
Compiled and annotated by editorial assistants Adam Mausner and Siheun Song in consultation with Sean Costigan, Senior Editor for CIAO.
