Jim Lobe with “Congress Ignores 'Dirty War' Past of New Iraq Envoy”, United States

A Seattle native, Jim Lobe has worked as the chief of IPS' Washington, D.C. bureau for most of the last 25 years. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, particularly as it has affected the Third World, as well as the major Washington-based multilateral institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, and the Inter-American Development Bank. He has followed the ups and downs of neo-conservatives in Washington's foreign policy since well before their most recent ascendancy under the Bush administration, and his expertise has been recognized by major international media, including the "Four Corners" public-affairs programme of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC's "Panorama" News magazine, and the "Daily Star" of Beirut, among others. He has also won several awards from "Project Censored." With a Juris doctor degree from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall School of Law), Lobe earlier received his B.A. from Williams College where he graduated magna cum laude with highest honours in history.

Not a man and not young (forty, if you must know)! I am very happy with what I am and what I do! I did my graduation in mass communication and journalism in 1987; started work with an English weekly published from Dhaka the same year. I used to do reports and features, and also edit stuff there for six long years. I taught journalism in Dhaka University for three years while working with this weekly, another Bangla weekly published from the same house, and a Bangla daily (night shifts and for a brief period). Wonder how I managed -was young I guess. Left all those jobs in 1993 and started freelancing mainly for the BBC Bengali Service. I have been regularly doing radio features ever since. I started contributing to IPS in 2001. What else? I'm already boring myself. Oh, and I forgot to give you my name: easier to remember me by my nickname Miti. My full name is a real tongue-twister: Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina. Give it a try!

Zarina Geloo has worked as a journalist for about 15 years, her career including a spell at the Times of Zambia where she covered political and economic issues. Recently, she developed an interest in HIV/AIDS, and has conducted research into how the pandemic is being reported on by the media in Zambia – and elsewhere in Southern Africa. This research also formed the basis for Zarina's master's degree in mass communications. The thesis she wrote for her degree was entitled ‘ Women: The Absent Voice in HIV and AIDS Communication' .