I’m feeling better about my reporting prospects. I’ve extended my trip for two days and have arranged trips to two courthouses. For security reasons, I won’t say which ones until I return, but I’ll have the opportunity to do more of what I came to Iraq to do: interview Iraqi judges and lawyers.
I’ve spent the last three days interviewing American officials, including, most recently, Phil Lynch, the rule of law coordinator at the US embassy. Lynch is an assistant US attorney in Seattle and in a unique position — he’s a US Department of Justice guy running a State Department programme. His purview, mostly, is the Iraqi High Tribunal and the major criminal courts in Baghdad. He also reports directly to the US ambassador to Iraq on rule of law issues and coordinates with the military. Previously, he advised the Iraqi High Tribunal during the Saddam Hussein trial.
