--Kanan Makiya, a leading Iraqi dissident coordinating the U.S. State Department's Future of Iraq initiative: Interview by Jackie Leyden, All Things Considered, National Public Radio, September 16, 2002

Iraq is a nation on the brink of sweeping change. Although it remains under the totalitarian control of Saddam Hussein, an undercurrent of excitement about the future is growing among Iraqi exiles and opposition leaders. Over the course of the last several years, their focus has shifted from merely hoping for rescue by an outside force to proactively planning the details of their own future in a free, democratic nation.

This is a time of both danger and opportunity for Iraq and the Middle East. As befits such a complex issue as the future of Iraq, the political debate likewise has been complex -- perhaps more so than many people realize. How, for instance, do Iraqis and Iraqi expatriates feel about the anti-war protests that many people in the U.S. and Europe make in their name? Is there a conflict between those who oppose the war and those who support human rights and freedom in Iraq? What should be the more important focus of international pressure on Iraq -- disarmament or human rights? What entity is of greater concern to the Kurds of northern Iraq, the Iraqi regime or the Turks? How relevant is the Arab perspective to the realities that Iraqis face every day? What path might a free Iraq take?

Here is a selection of web sites, articles, and interviews with experts that presents some of the complexity of opinion on Iraq -- including, of course, the hopes and dreams of Iraqis caught in the middle of it all.

Iraqi National Congress
The Iraqi National Congress includes a variety of groups opposing the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Kurdistan Regional Government
The website of the Kurdish autonomous government in northern Iraq. Includes regional news and information on Kurdish culture and Hussein's notorious Anfal campaign of 1988.
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
One of the two major Kurdish political parties. Includes many republished articles of the liberal interventionist persuasion, critical of both the anti-war movement and certain aspects of U.S policy in Iraq.
Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)
Shi'a opposition group based in Iran and southern Iraq. Also known as the Supreme Council for Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

Iraq Update: U.S. Department of State
News and commentary on U.S. policy towards Iraq.
Radio Free Iraq
Daily and weekly news on events affecting Iraq.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Weekday Magazine - Iraq
Analyses and features about Iraq by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The Amar Foundation
Charitable organization supporting rights of Iraqi Marsh Arabs and restoration of the southern marshes.
The Iraq Foundation
A non-profit, non-governmental organization working for democracy and human rights in Iraq, and for better international understanding of Iraq's potential to contribute to political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
Iraq Research and Demonstration Project
Collection of resources documenting the government, politics, and society of modern Iraq. Includes a vast collection of Iraqi regime documents captured in northern Iraq during the 1991 uprising.
Iraqi Forum for Democracy
A non-profit political action group promoting pluralistic democracy for Iraq.
Women for a Free Iraq
A diverse group of women from Iraq, coming together to tell of the suffering of Iraqis under Saddam Hussein's brutal rule and their yearning to be liberated.
Iraqi Prospect Organization
A network of young Iraqi men and women living in the west, working to establish proportional democracy in Iraq.
Committee for the Liberation of Iraq
Promotes regional peace, political freedom, and international security by seeking to replace the Iraqi regime with a democratic government.
Human Rights Watch: Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan
Human Rights Watch defends human rights worldwide. The page listed above is specifically about human rights issues in Iraq.
INDICT: Bringing Iraqi War Criminals to Justice
A campaign to expose and indict the bad apples of the Iraqi regime--Hussein and his bloody henchmen.
Iraq Watch
A comprehensive web site devoted to monitoring Iraq's progress in building weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq After Saddam Hussein
Talk of the Nation, August 19, 2002, National Public Radio transcript
Panel discussion of current political conditions within Iraq and the possibilities for democracy. Experts interviewed include Kanan Makiya and Phebe Marr.

Fresh Air Online: Audio File Archives: National Public Radio

Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times foreign affairs columnist, discusses prospects for regime change in Iraq and democracy in the Middle East. Select September 5, 2002.

Journalist Christopher Dickey, co-author of the September 23, 2002 Newsweek cover story, "How we helped create Saddam, and can we fix Iraq after he's gone," warns of the possible ramifications of war in Iraq. Select September 18, 2002.

Iraq expert Kenneth Pollack makes the case for invading Iraq. Select October 2, 2002.

Robin Wright, chief diplomatic correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, visits Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran. She discusses Kurdish reconstruction and cooperation with the U.N., and the future of the Persian Gulf region if Hussein is ousted. Select November 26, 2002.

Selected articles from OpenDemocracy: The Middle East

Iraq after Saddam: Two generations in dialogue: Yasser Alaskary and Faleh A. Jabar, December 18, 2002
Two Iraqi exiles of different generations and views discuss the best way forward for a country on the brink of decisive change.
The Iraqi dictatorship: a unique case needs an exceptional solution: Yasser Alaskary, September 25, 2002
A young Iraqi dissident argues that the incomparable nature of his people's burden makes the forced removal of Saddam Hussein the only ethical solution.
Too soon to stop thinking: the view from Iraq: Faleh A. Jabar, September 25, 2002
"Warmongering is as shortsighted as philanthropic pacifism....peace activists should remember that there are two sources of menace: war and dictatorship....one approach has never been tried: a meaningful political process to disengage the various components of the regime from each other."
Iraqis plan a post-Saddam future: Ghassan Atiyyah, May 12, 2002
Iraqi exiles in London, of all backgrounds and opinions, are coming together in a major conference to chart a political way forward for their homeland.