Editor’s Note to Google / Yahoo Searchers: Welcome! If you’ve found this page because you’re searching for weblogs about the Iraq conflict, you’ve come to the right place. Or at least, a right place. If you are new to the world of weblogs, then a double-welcome to you: you are about to discover one of the most rewarding information sources in existence today. We aren’t professional journalists (well, most of us) — but sometimes that’s a good thing!
I am N.Z. Bear, and this is my humble weblog. The post you see below is from a grand experiment in which webloggers from the pro- and anti- sides came together for a structured debate to exchange ideas and argue their respective positions. I coordinated the pro-war side of the debate, and Down: The Left-Right Blog Opposing an Invasion of Iraq coordinated the anti-war side. The debate had several parts:
The Call for Questions
Publication of the Questions
Publication of the Answers
If you just want to cut to the chase, I suggest going right to the answers, as that’s where you’ll find the actual arguments made by myself, and many, many other webloggers.
If you are looking for more up-to-the-minute news, I highly recommend The Command Post, a collaborative weblog being updated continuously, 24×7, with the latest breaking stories on the conflict.
And of course, I hope you’ll check my own front page for my latest take on recent events, and browse the sidebar for my past “greatest hits”. And if you don’t find what you are looking for, feel free to drop me a line and I’ll try to point you in the right direction.
Again, welcome!
-N.Z. Bear
March 27, 2003
A few weeks back I proposed a cross-blog debate on Iraq. I’m pleased to announce that the folks at Stand Down: The Left-Right Blog Opposing an Invasion of Iraq have agreed to coordinate the anti-war side of the debate. And so: the game is on!
The process and schedule for the debate is as follows:
Today – Sunday 2/9: Each side in the debate will develop a list of five questions to be asked of the other side. As coordinator for the pro-war side, I will be accepting proposed questions here in the comments thread of this post. Additionally, I ask that those interested in the debate also comment on other people’s proposed questions, so that I can attempt to gauge which questions are most popular. (I might resort to a poll-widget towards the end of the week, depending on the volume of response). Similarly, Doctor Slack has opened a post at Stand Down to collect questions to be posed to the pro-war side.
Monday 2/10: The final list of five questions to be answered by each side will be posted both here and at Stand Down.
Monday 2/10 – Sunday 2/16: Any blogger who is interested in participating in the debate can do so by simply answering the questions appropriate to his or her position on their own weblog.
Monday 2/17: Doctor Slack and I will post a roundup of the responses from our respective sides.
So with that, the official question-solicitation period has begun! (Cue dramatic music). If you are a supporter of miltary action against Saddam Hussein and have questions you’d like to hear answered by the no-war crowd, submit your ideas here. And if you happen to be part of the no-war crowd, then head over to Stand Down and toss in your suggestions to stump the pro-war side.
I’ll start us off with a few proposed questions of my own:
– Given your opposition to military action against Iraq, what specific actions do you believe should be taken to deal with Saddam Hussein?
– Do you agree that the current Iraqi regime is in material breach of numerous U.N. resolutions, most recently Resolution 1441? If not, why not; and if so, how does this affect your opposition to military action?
– How, if it all, would a Security Council resolution endorsing a military strike against Saddam Hussein affect your views?
I look forward to hearing other folks’ ideas for thought-provoking questions, and to an interesting debate!
-NZB
Note: I would welcome links to this post from as many bloggers as possible; I’d like to spread the word far and wide to ensure high participation and a vigorous debate. If you do feel inclined to link, please link to both this post and the corresponding one at Stand Down. Thanks!