As bombs began falling on Baghdad last March, an Iraqi writing under the nom de blog Salam Pax gave a one-of-a-kind account of a city under siege. His posts earned him a book deal (as well as the charge, later dismissed, of being a hoax). Now a new group of Iraqi bloggers—several of whom are linked to on Pax’s site, dear_raed.blogspot.com—shed light on the turmoil.

The Blog: healingiraq.blogspot.com
The Blogger: Zeyad, a dentist, was for the invasion, but now seems far less sure.
The Entry: “The sense of impending disaster . . . the breakdown of most governmental facilities . . . All signs indicate that it’s spiraling out of control, and any statements by . . . U.S. officials suggesting otherwise are blatantly absurd.”

The Blog: riverbendblog.blogspot.com
The Blogger: A stridently antiwar and anonymous “girl” blogger in Baghdad.
The entry: “I was getting . . . stares—why wasn’t this girl wearing a hijab? Ever since the war, even Christian women have been pressured into hiding their hair.”

The Blog: Iraqthemodel.blogspot.com
The Bloggers: Three Iraqi brothers, Mohammed, Ali, and Omar.
The Entry: “I went to the bakery . . . Suddenly everyone went quiet after hearing heavy explosions . . . No one is safe in Baghdad. Oh, I really miss the air campaign!”

The Blog: raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com
The Blogger: Formerly the “Raed” of Salam Pax’s blog, the Palestinian Iraqi architect now has his own, which is both fervently anti-Saddam and anti-U.S.
The Entry: “Do you want elections and democracy? The powerful extremist-religion people are going to win.”

Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer Features”
• Articles by Ethan Brown
• Table of Contents: Apr 26, 2004 issue of New York | Subscribe!