Author: Yogi Schulz

Through the Web, we can monitor developments during the looming war in Iraq more directly than any previous war in history.  While many of us hope that war can still be averted, here’s a summary of the web sites that will help us look beyond the print stories and the short video clips on the evening news.

In each paragraph, I’ve included the name of the site.  Using the name in a Web search engine will guide you to the Web site.

Images

The image gallery at DigitalGlobe provides high-resolution satellite images.  Recently, the site offered fascinating images of Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

The recently launched QuickBird satellite produces the highest resolution, commercially available images ever taken of the Earth.  Buildings, roads, bridges and other detailed infrastructure can be clearly seen by the satellite’s camera system.  Details revealed by QuickBird were previously seen only by highly classified spy satellites.

The GlobalSecurity Web site provides updates on the military situation at various global-conflict regions.  Recently, the site displayed satellite surveillance photos of North Korean nuclear facilities and provided a summary assessment of Iraq’s military capability with a large collection of maps.

The United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) is the formal name of the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq.  The UNSCOM Web page contains a large number of photographs that illustrate the inspectors’ activities.

Pictures of the U.S. armed forces in action and of their armaments are located at DefenseLink.  For a look at the satellite imagery that the United States is using to make its case against Iraq go to the White House or to the State Department.  Recognize that these sites provide the USA perspective on events.

Terraserver provides maps and daily imagery for what the site calls Hot Spots and Cool Sites.  Many of these images are related to current headlines.  The rest are visually stunning images of the planet we all inhabit.  The University of Texas has assembled a huge index to thematic maps of Iraq.  If the war drags out, these maps will help us locate the conflict.

News

For the Canadian perspective on the daily news, go to canada.com, CBC or CTV.  For a British perspective go to economist.com.  This news organization provides information on current events that is much broader than its name suggests.  The U.S. sites are, of course, too numerous to cover.  Among the top sites are those provided by the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Al-Jazeera, the Arabic-language network, has grown in popularity beyond the Arab world by broadcasting messages from Osama bin Laden and by providing insights into the thinking of the Arab world to the West.

Fluency in Arabic is a prerequisite to exploring the Al-Jazeera web site.  However, Cursor.org provides links to a range of English-language commentary about Al-Jazeera news content.

Expert Analysis

Sometimes the news can’t provide the background analysis we might like to explore.  For expert analysis, various commercial and non-commercial organizations maintain Web sites.

Jane’s Information Group is a highly regarded commercial organization that provides expert analysis of breaking news related to war and defense.  Its quick summaries often provide sufficient information for someone who wants to stay well informed.  Full articles and reports can be ordered for detailed analysis.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) is a non-partisan institution dedicated to informing the public about science and policy issues affecting international security.  Its site contains satellite images annotated with expert analysis related to nuclear activities and a whole section devoted to Iraq.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is an UK-based organization that has been quoted by various world leaders in their Iraq-related comments.  IISS publishes an inventory of the world’s armed forces and in-depth analysis of strategic issues.

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is a nonpartisan research center and publisher.  It is dedicated to increasing America’s understanding of the world and contributing ideas to U.S. foreign policy.  Its site includes an extensive analysis of terrorist organizations located in various countries.

For not-so-expert opinion, go to Open Democracy.  Among its forums is one that discusses what to do about Iraq.

Conclusions

The possible war in Iraq will be fought with the general public having unprecedented access to text and visual information about the war.  If you’d like the list of web sites used to prepare this article, please send me an e-mail.


References/Resources:

Ref # Web Site Full URL
1 DigitalGlobe http://www.digitalglobe.com
2 GlobalSecurity http://www.globalsecurity.org
3 UNSCOM http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/index.html
4 USA DefenseLink http://www.defenselink.mil/index.html
5 USA White House http://www.whitehouse.gov
6 USA State Department http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/iraq99k.htm
7 Terraserver http://www.terraserver.com
8 University of Texas http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/iraq.html
9 canada.com http://www.canada.com/national
10 CBC http://www.cbc.ca
11 CTV http://www.ctv.ca
12 economist.com http://www.economist.com
13 CNN http://www.cnn.com
14 Al-Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.net
15 Cursor, Inc. http://www.cursor.org/aljazeera.htm
16 Jane’s Information Group http://www.janes.com
17 Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) http://www.isis-online.org
18 International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) http://www.iiss.org
19 Council on Foreign Relations http://www.cfr.org
20 Open Democracy http://www.opendemocracy.net

Bibliography

Images

DefenseLink

http://www.defenselink.mil/multimedia

Digital Globe

Reference #1

www.digitalglobe.com

Eurimage

http://www.eurimage.com/index.html

Global Security

Reference #2

Provides updates on the military situation at various global conflict regions.

Recently, the site displayed satellite surveillance photos of North Korean nuclear facilities.

http://www.globalsecurity.org

Iraq Military Guide

Good summary assessment of military capability with a huge collection of maps.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/index.html

Meteorological system with the Geostationary Operational Meteorological Satellite

Russian data did not appear easily accessible.

http://sputnik.infospace.ru/goms/engl/goms_e.htm

NASA – Earth Observatory

The purpose of NASA’s Earth Observatory is to provide a freely accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet.  The focus is on Earth’s climate and environmental change.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=9765

NASA Visible Earth

Searchable directory of images, visualizations and animations of the earth

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov

National Weather Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S.A. focus

http://www.nws.noaa.gov

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

Quick weather images of entire regions of the planet

http://www.goes.noaa.gov

Satellite Services Division of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov

RadarSat International

http://www.rsi.ca

NASA Global Hydrology and Climate Center

Interactive Global Geostationary Weather Satellite Images

Provides a very high-level partial globe view of weather.

You easily see cloud cover that affects military operations.

http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES

Map Resources

http://www.mapresources.com

Terraserver.com

Reference #7

Terraserver.com is the worldwide source of the finest satellite imagery and aerial photography for people of all walks of life.

Terraserver.com will provide daily/weekly imagery for the “HOT SPOTS” and “COOL SITES” features on the home page.

http://www.terraserver.com

United Nations Special Commission UNSCOM

Reference #3

By its resolution 687 of 3 April 1991, the United Nations Security Council established the terms and conditions for the formal cease-fire between Iraq and the coalition of Member States co-operating with Kuwait.  Section C of this resolution called for the elimination, under international supervision, of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometers (km), together with related items and production facilities.  It also called for measures to ensure that the acquisition and production of prohibited items were not resumed. The United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was set up to implement the non-nuclear provisions of the resolution and to assist the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the nuclear areas.

http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/index.html

For a look at a selection of pictures that illustrate the activities of the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, go to:

http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/prespack-1.htm

University of Texas

Reference #8

The Perry-Casta–eda Library Map Collection – Iraq Maps

The University of Texas has assembled a huge index of maps of Iraq that can be accessed from the following link.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/iraq.html

News Sites

Al-Jazeera

Al-Jazeera, the Arabic-language network, has grown in popularity beyond the Arab world by broadcasting messages from Osama bin Laden and by providing insights into the thinking of the Arab world to the West.

Unfortunately fluency in Arabic is a prerequisite to exploring the Al-Jazeera web site.

Reference #14

http://www.aljazeera.net

Cursor provides links to a range of English-language commentary about Al-Jazeera.  Cursor, Inc. educates the public on the relationship between media and society.

Reference #15

http://www.cursor.org/aljazeera.htm

Canada.com

Reference #9

http://www.canada.com/national

CBC

Reference #10

http://www.cbc.ca

CNN

Reference #13

http://www.cnn.com

CTV

Reference #11

http://www.ctv.ca

Economist

Reference #12

http://www.economist.com

MSN

http://www.msn.com

Paris Match

http://www.parismatch.com

Washington Post

UNSCOM Tracks Terror Weapons

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/iraq/maps/satindex.htm

Expert Analysis

Council on Foreign Relations

Reference #19

The Council on Foreign Relations is a nonpartisan membership organization, research center, and publisher. It is dedicated to increasing America’s understanding of the world and contributing ideas to U.S. foreign policy. The Council accomplishes this mainly by promoting constructive discussions both in private and in public, and by publishing Foreign Affairs, the leading journal on global issues.

http://www.cfr.org/index.php

http://www.terrorismanswers.com/home

Federation of American Scientists

The FAS challenges US government actions and tries to provide scientific analysis to support or challenge government policies and initiatives.

Lots of background analysis of WMD initiatives, treaties and government statements.

http://www.fas.org

Institute for Science and International Security

Reference #17

This site contains satellite images annotated with expert analysis related to nuclear activities.

There is a whole section of the web site devoted to Iraq.

http://www.isis-online.org/publications/iraq/index.html

ISIS is a non-profit, non-partisan institution dedicated to informing the public about science and policy issues affecting international security. Its efforts focus on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons, bringing about greater transparency of nuclear activities worldwide, and achieving deep reductions in nuclear arsenals.

http://www.isis-online.org

International Institute for Strategic Studies

Reference #18

Various world leaders in their Iraq-related comments have quoted IISS.

IISS major publications include:

1.      The Military Balance, the authoritative annual inventory of the world’s armed forces

2.      Strategic Survey, an annual retrospective of the year’s political and military trends

3.      the Adelphi Paper monograph series, in-depth analysis of general strategic issues

4.      Survival a quarterly international relations journal

5.      Strategic Comments, containing online briefings on breaking strategic issues, which is widely syndicated in the international press.

6.      Strategic Pointers, shorter 750-word online assessments.

http://www.iiss.org

Jane’s Information Group

Reference #16

http://www.janes.com

Jane’s Intelligence Review

http://jir.janes.com

Jane’s Terrorism Intelligence Centre

http://jtic.janes.com

Open Democracy

Reference #20

http://www.opendemocracy.net/home/index.jsp

Discussions about what to do about Iraq

http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/issue.jsp?debateId=88&id=2

Northrop Grumman

http://www.capitol.northgrum.com/links.html

Armaments

USAF

Pictures of aircraft.

http://www.af.mil/photos

European Unionhttp://europa.eu.int/index_en.htm

UK Government

British Army

http://www.army.mod.uk

Government Portal

http://www.ukonline.gov.uk

Ministry of Defense

Contains the perspective of the U.K. Armed Services

http://www.mod.uk

Number 10 Downing Street

Web Site of the Prime Minister’s Office

http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp

United States Government

DefenseLink

Reference #4

Contains the perspective of the U.S. Armed Services

Includes a breaking news section

http://www.defenselink.mil/index.html

Photos of military equipment

http://www.defenselink.mil/photos/MilitaryServices

US Department of State International Information Programs

Reference #6

This site contains text and visual images that support the US view of Iraq non-compliance with UN sanctions.

http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/iraq99k.htm

White House

Reference #5

Contains the perspective of the U.S. Administration

http://www.whitehouse.gov

Military Press OnlineFocus on the news and issues as they affect U.S. military personnel.

http://www.militarypress.com

Space Today OnlineThis page provides a good summary of intelligence data gathering.

U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) operates satellites for the U.S. intelligence community.

http://www.spacetoday.org/Satellites/YugoWarSats.html

Weather

TV Weather

US weather reports

http://www.tvweather.com

Yahoo

http://uk.weather.yahoo.com/w/wcom/me_satintl_440_dmy_y.html