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Coiffed, groomed and impeccably suited, Mithal al-Alusi cuts an imposing figure at this trendy hotel. In the empty bar lounge, he makes himself at home to a breakfast of fresh fruit, strong coffee and a constant flow of cigarettes. The leader of the Democratic Party of the Iraqi Nation is in town to promote his vision for a new Iraq and accept an accolade from an unlikely sponsor – the American Jewish Committee – who honored him with a Moral Courage award at their annual dinner last week. His act of courage was an attempt to break Iraq's long-standing taboo...

Libyan rebels announce interim government Published: March. 23, 2011 at 11:54 AM BENGHAZI, Libya, March 23 (UPI) -- Rebel leaders in Libya announced they formed an interim government bent on maintaining the unity of the country, a spokesman said Wednesday. Fighters loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi are attacking rebel positions in the country despite international forces enforcing a no-fly zone under a U.N. Security Council mandate.

<p>America shows weakness in Iraq by passing the buck to the U.N.</p> <p>Tuesday, April 20, 2004 12:01 a.m.</p> <p>One mystery of the last year in Iraq is that a U.S. occupation that is supposed to midwife democracy has put so little trust in Iraqis. The Bush Administration may be compounding that error now by abdicating decisions about the June 30 transition to Iraqi rule to U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.</p>

IRAQI PRIME MINISTER IYAD ALLAWI: "I believe very strongly that Saddam had relations with al Qaeda. We know Saddam had relationships with a lot of terrorists and international terrorism. Now, whether he is directly connected to the September atrocities or not, I can't vouch for this, but definitely I know he has connections with extremism and terrorists."

<p>Coordinated sabotage attacks on fuel and transmission lines around an enormous power plant south of Baghdad shut the plant down last weekend, American and Iraqi government officials said Tuesday, raising new fears that insurgents were targeting major sectors of the Iraqi infrastructure as part of an overall terror plan.</p>

George Washington and Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar have much in common, although the only flowing white robes Washington ever wore were Roman togas in epic portraits. Iraq has now reached a point similar, in many ways, to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, when a group of unelected men met to change the course of their country’s history. These similarities bring hope for Iraq’s future. Consider the situation the United States was in prior to 1787. Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government was weak, with local state governments and militias holding much power. The economy was stagnant, much to the...

PARIS, May 25 (Reuters) - France demanded changes on Monday to a U.S.-British draft U.N. resolution outlining the handover of power to an interim Iraqi government and said Iraqis must be handed genuine sovereignty on June 30. President Jacques Chirac, whose country led opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq and holds a power of veto in the United Nations Security Council, set out France's concerns in a telephone conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush. The draft, presented on Monday to the Security Council, sets June 30 as the date for a transfer of power to Iraqis. "This draft...contains...

In 1976 voters in Alaska approved a constitutional amendment creating the Alaska Permanent Fund. It required that at least 25 percent of all mineral lease bonuses, royalties, and rentals be deposited in a fund used only for income-producing investments. At the urging of Republican Governor Jay S. Hammond (1974-82), the state legislature enacted into law the innovative concept of permanent fund dividends to distribute part of the earnings directly to Alaska citizens. The Alaska Permanent Fund is a case study in a new concept of the role of government - that of agent to equitably distribute resource rents to the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 21, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- A national conference that will pick Iraq's new interim government will probably be held in mid-July, L. Paul Bremer, the country's U.S. civilian administrator said Wednesday. "We are continuing our active dialogue with Iraqi leaders, we are meeting with them every day," Bremer said during a tour of the newly reopened al-Karkh jail on the outskirts of Baghdad. He said his goal was to establish a government "representative of all Iraqis." Copyright 2003 Associated Press, All rights reserved MORE...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 16 - In an abrupt reversal, the United States and Britain have indefinitely put off their plan to allow Iraqi opposition forces to form a national assembly and an interim government by the end of the month. Instead, top American and British diplomats leading reconstruction efforts here told exile leaders in a meeting tonight that allied officials would remain in charge of Iraq for an indefinite period, said Iraqis who attended the meeting. It was conducted by L. Paul Bremer, the new civilian administrator here. Mr. Bremer, who was accompanied by John Sawers, a British diplomat representing...