Sorry for the silence on our end, friends! We are currently assembling a large roster of volunteers and colleagues who will be posting more regularly, about the crisis, our work, and the road ahead. Stay tuned for some new voices here.
In the meantime, some worthwhile links:
- Prime Minister Maliki has been engaging in some political theatrics on the refugee issue lately, sending his personal jet to Cairo to fly Iraqis back to Baghdad, where the cameras await. So far, a few hundred Iraqis have returned, but the remainder of Egypt’s estimated 70,000 Iraqis haven’t taken him up on his offer. The UNCHR recently reported that the overwhelming majority of Iraqis (94%) do not have plans to return home anytime soon. While we at the List Project believe that resettlement is NOT an option for the millions that have been displaced (indeed, these Iraqis need to be able to return to Iraq one day), the Iraqis who are running for their lives because they helped us feel as though the stain of collaboration is long-lasting.
- For a sanguine analysis on the crisis, please read Elizabeth Ferris’ most recent Brookings paper: “The Looming Crisis: Displacement and Security in Iraq.” Ferris recently discussed her research with List Project founder Kirk Johnson in a Brookings event in late August.
- The List Project’s grassroots efforts are taking shape at netroots.thelistproject.org. In its first month, over 500 Americans across the country signed up and are now joining or creating chapters nearby. Chapters can choose from a range of meaningful activities through which they can start taking ownership on this critical issue: some are raising funds for recently-resettled Iraqi families, others are undertaking advocacy efforts to teach other citizens about our obligation to these Iraqis, others are donating to the List Kids, which sends regular care packages to the children of recently-arrived Iraqi families.
We hope to see you all on Netroots, where you can always catch the most up-to-date news on the Project, meet hundreds (soon to be thousands, we anticipate!) of other Americans who care about our moral obligation to U.S.-affiliated Iraqis, and take charge of the issue yourself!
The List Project Team