Expatriates's topics - tribe.net

The Iraqi Refugees

2008-06-20T23:17:53Z

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/20/world_refugee_day_us_criticized_for

World Refugee Day: US Criticized for Failing to Help Iraqi Refugees and Iraqis Who Aided US Occupation
Over the past five years, the US has resettled just 5,000 Iraqis. Compare that to Sweden, a country of only nine million people, which resettled 18,000 Iraqis last year alone. And among the most desperate seeking asylum are those Iraqis who have been forced from their homes because they helped the US government in Iraq, serving as interpreters and civil society experts for the military, State Department and federal agencies such as USAID. [includes rush transcript]

Guests:

Kirk Johnson, Former USAID worker in Iraq. He is the founder of the List Project that helps safely resettle in the United States Iraqis whose lives are endangered because of working with the US in Iraq.

Haydar Saeed Assad, Worked as a translator with the US Army in Najaf, Iraq for four years, fled Iraq after two attempts on his life and now lives in Ithaca, New York.

Maura Stephens, Journalist, educator and peace activist. She recently started a non-profit called Iraqi Refugees Assistance Connection. Before the 2003 invasion, she and her husband co-authored a book about Iraq called Collateral Damage.

Rush Transcript
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AMY GOODMAN: Yes, it’s World Refugee Day. Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, an estimated 4.7 million Iraqis have been displaced both within and outside Iraq. And for many, the situation is desperate.

Jordan and Syria alone have taken in some two million Iraqi refugees but are not equipped to meet the needs of those arriving. In a new report, Amnesty International accuses the international community of failing to respond to the crisis in a meaningful way. As of 2007, only one percent of the total displaced Iraqi population was estimated to be in the industrialized world.

To mark World Refugee Day, Amnesty International is calling on the international community, in particular those countries who participated in the US-led invasion of Iraq, to take real steps to alleviate the suffering of those displaced.

Nowhere is this more relevant than the United States. Over the past five years, the US has resettled about 5,000 Iraqis. Compare that to Sweden, a country of only nine million people, which resettled 18,000 Iraqis last year alone. And among the most desperate seeking asylum are those Iraqis who have been forced from their homes because they helped the US government in Iraq, serving as interpreters and civil society experts for the military, State Department and federal agencies such as USAID.

Today, we’re joined on the phone by one of the few Iraqis who was resettled in the US. Haydar Saeed Assad worked as a translator with the US Army in Najaf for four years, fled Iraq after two attempts on his life, now lives in Ithaca, New York. Maura Stephens is a journalist, educator, peace activist. She recently started a non-profit called Iraqi Refugees Assistance Connection. They’re both with us from Ithaca.

And we’re joined on the phone by Kirk Johnson, founder of the List Project, that helps safely resettle in the United States people whose lives are endangered because of working with the US in Iraq.

Kirk Johnson, tell us the extent of the problem.

KIRK JOHNSON: Boy, that’s a tough question to answer. There has been a number of gestures and good steps by Congress to try to resolve this problem, but the plight of those who have helped us carries on. The List Project is working with roughly 1,000 Iraqis who meet that criteria who are still languishing in the region trying to make it to the US. And we’re dealing with numbers of Iraqis who have been waiting for years trying to make it through this very complicated process. And there’s no signs of this abating. I mean, we’re still getting, you know, dozens of new applicants to join the List Project every week, basically.

AMY GOODMAN: What is the List Project?

KIRK JOHNSON: So, it was founded actually a year ago today. I’ve been so busy, I didn’t realize it was World Refugee Day today. But it basically is a group of, right now, three top law firms, where we’ve managed to get roughly 200 attorneys to represent pro bono the cases of the Iraqis on my list. And they push these cases with the US government and try to help push them through the bureaucracy. We’ve managed to get around a hundred Iraqis in so far.

AMY GOODMAN: Now, you’re a former USAID worker in Iraq, suffered PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, when you came back home?

KIRK JOHNSON: Mm-hmm.

AMY GOODMAN: You tried to get your own translator, interpreter into the United States?

KIRK JOHNSON: Yes. It all started with my—the first friend of mine, who—he had been identified by a militia as having worked for the Americans, because somebody took his picture coming out of the Green Zone. And the next day, he came home and found the severed head of a dog on his front steps with a note pinned to it saying that his head would be next. And when he went to the US government—this was in fall of ’06—to ask for help, there was nothing they did or apparently could do for him at the time, and I thought that was outrageous. And so, I wrote an op-ed about his situation and thought that that was going to be the extent of my involvement. But that op-ed circulated throughout all of my other former colleagues, and the list sort of began because I started hearing from a number of them who had suffered similar fates.

AMY GOODMAN: Did you get him in?

KIRK JOHNSON: Yes. He actually lives with my parents now in Illinois.

AMY GOODMAN: I want to go to Haydar Saeed Assad, worked as a translator with the US Army in Najaf for four years. How did you get into the United States? And how are you doing in Ithaca, New York?

HAYDAR SAEED ASSAD: Well, thank you very much. It started after 2003, when militias and some people started targeting translators, because of they started work with the United States government. I applied through the bill that passed by the Congress in 2006, allowing 500 translators to come into the United States to live permanently in the United States. Within the help of Maura Stephens—she’s one of the dearest friends of mine—I moved to Ithaca in October of 2007.

AMY GOODMAN: And you came through Syria to come to the United States?

HAYDAR SAEED ASSAD: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: With your family?

HAYDAR SAEED ASSAD: Yes. This is one of, in fact, the more difficult experiences for me and most of the refugees and the [inaudible] and Iraqis, in general. They have not been treated very well by either government, either two governments, Syrians or Jordanians. They really struggled to live. They really struggled to manage their daily lives. They don’t have any type of income. They don’t been granted as resident for short time either. So this is a very tough problem for them.

AMY GOODMAN: Maura Stephens, you’ve worked with Haydar Saeed Assad, as well as other Iraqi translators, to try to get them into the United States, and then, once here, to deal. You wrote a piece for AlterNet, “US Failing to Help Iraqi Translator and Family Targeted for Execution.” Explain.

MAURA STEPHENS: Yes, that was actually Haydar’s colleague, Dhia Abed Waheed, who with his family—well, his family’s home was bombed. He was a friend of mine from before the invasion. I met him just a few weeks before the invasion and got to know him well in Baghdad, where he was working. And I went back looking for him in the summer of ’03 after the invasion, couldn’t find him. Six months later, I heard from his officer, US Army officer, telling me that he was safe and that he was working for the Army. Well, he worked for the Army four years, and he and his family endured unspeakable hardship because of his work with the US government. And I spent two years trying to get him out. And it was really a nightmare working through the State Department and the National Visa Center. And fortunately, he made it here safely in September, and Haydar came shortly after.

AMY GOODMAN: Maura Stephens, what are you doing around Congress now? This figure of, you know, small Sweden accepting 18,000 Iraqis; the United States, which led the invasion, over five years accepting 5,000?

MAURA STEPHENS: I know. It’s simply disgraceful. And I actually—my new group, Iraqi Refugee Assistance connection, has petitioned Congress for certain things, including ensuring that the criteria for acceptance into the United States as a refugee for interpreters should not include needing a letter from a general or a flag officer. There was a law passed saying that that would not be allowed, but both Dhia an Haydar were forced to get letters from generals. And you probably know, there aren’t very many generals walking around Iraq talking to interpreters.

Also, they had no financial assistance. They had to pay their own way to Syria or Jordan and often lived there for months while waiting for approval. And then they had to pay their own way here. So we want to speed the visa application process to no more than four days and offer financial assistance during the waiting period, as well as airfare to the city where the interpreter is going, and other things.

AMY GOODMAN: Kirk Johnson, the piece that you wrote that got so much attention, “Hounded by Insurgents, Abandoned by [Us],” what can people do today?

KIRK JOHNSON: Well, I mean, they can support groups like Maura’s that just started up. There are so many people who have been trying—who care about this issue, who have been trying to make a difference. And sometimes it gets a little frustrating, because it seems as though this is the most obvious moral imperatives that the war has presented.

And frankly, Congress, you know, they have tried. There was a bipartisan group of senators that passed legislation. But the main hang-up right now is the White House. And our president still hasn’t uttered a syllable yet about what he thinks we owe Iraqis who are running for their lives because they decided to help our troops and our State Department and government officials.

To that end, I mean, you know, the List Project, we have things—people are forming List Project chapters throughout the country now that are working—we give them sort of the rough idea, but then they work with their local congregations and other networks to try to help the Iraqis that we’ve helped get in. So, you know, they’re going to figure out what—

AMY GOODMAN: Is there any chance of increasing the number that are allowed into the United States? Amnesty International particularly calling on the United States and the countries that were in the invasion to accept the refugees.

KIRK JOHNSON: What I’ve been pushing for, I think, is a reconsideration of Operation Pacific Haven, which is what we did in 1996 after a failed coup in the north of Iraq. And President Clinton surveyed the traditional resettlement process and realized that it wasn’t going to move quickly enough, which is emblematic of today. And so, he ordered an airlift to our military base on Guam. And over the course of a week or so, he airlifted out nearly 7,000 Iraqis, where they were processed there. They were kept safe from Saddam in Guam, and Americans were kept safe from any potential bad apple. Those Iraqis are now all Americans. They’ve been living in our country for a long time. They’re productive citizens. There’s no reason to suggest that we couldn’t do the same thing again.

AMY GOODMAN: Kirk Johnson, we’re going to leave it there. I want to thank you for being with us, former USAID worker, works with the List Project; Maura Stephens, for being with us from Ithaca; and finally, Haydar Saeed Assad, an Iraqi translator now living in Ithaca, New York.

posted in Expatriates - 0 replies

Anyone ever lived in Barcelona?

2008-06-12T22:25:51Z

Hi, am looking to move to Barcelona around June, and was wondering if anyone has ever lived there and maybe has some advice about finding a flat to rent, and about moving there in general? Thanks!

posted in Expatriates - 2 replies

Looking for expats who want to be interviewed

2008-06-10T21:47:13Z

Hi,

I am writing a series of papers based on interviews with Expats and would like to get in touch with people who have lived and worked in several countries. First interviews would be by email. I am interested in knowing why someone decides to work abroad, how it works from a practical level, what are the benefits, the difficulties etc... Interviews will happen based on the country you work/live in now. Thanks for letting me know.

posted in Expatriates - 3 replies

American food for the Expat

2008-02-15T12:47:10Z

http://www.expatexpress.com/

I came across this while looking for online grocery stores. Wish I had known about this site when I was overseas!

posted in Expatriates - 2 replies

Why are you there?

2007-07-09T04:36:29Z

As I read Jim's post about his friend not understanding him being old, unmarried, and childless and it making him feel like "the other", I could relate to that feeling. And I wondered "So why did *he* choose to be where he is?"

So I thought I'd put it out to everyone: What brought you to the country outside of where you were born? What makes you stay? Do you think you'll stay forever (I kind of hate that question personally but I'm putting it out there)? Do you think about going back? Do you think about living in yet another country, yet not the one you were born in?

posted in Expatriates - 1 reply

Language vs Culture

2007-06-19T08:36:36Z

Since Narayan mentioned it, I wanted to start a new thread talking about it.

Just a little background: I'm living in a Spanish speaking country. Studied Spanish for a couple of years in high school (many years ago) and then 2 semester in college about 12 years ago. Have been living here for almost 2 years. My language skills are not as strong as I'd like them to be because there are many English speakers here. But I try hard and I can get along pretty well. My conversations are getting deeper but I still make stupid grammatical mistakes.

Anyway, at first when I didn't understand something, I'd blame it on me not understanding the language. But now I realize more and more, it has little to do with the language and more with the culture. I might hear all the words but the way they're put together doesn't make sense. Or else I might say something that is perfectly correct word-wise but it's more a translation of either English or an American cultural concept.

This can be frustrating for both parties. I've had the electric company ask to get someone to translate for me when in reality it wasn't a language problem (it was them being stubborn and making all kinds excuses not to send someone out).

Anyway, I don't know if there's a real point to this but to share and get some more conversation going.

posted in Expatriates - 8 replies

New Moderator

2007-06-14T17:59:50Z

Let's go people - TOU guy's gonna be asking us to make a selection here soon...

I nominate X!ne because...

X!ne: 1 vote

posted in Expatriates - 5 replies

marriage of convenience

2007-01-04T19:09:36Z

I'm interested in hearing stories/perspectives/advice on the idea of marrying someone overseas. What's it entail? Anyone with tips or things to avoid?

posted in Expatriates - 9 replies

Romania anyone?

2006-11-11T06:06:20Z

Are there any Patriots Abroad who live in Romania? How is the cost of living? Is the weather good? How do the people accept you? Is it a good place to retire? How is the medical care?

posted in Expatriates - 3 replies

transit visa for a cat passing through Taipei?

2006-08-19T05:47:32Z

I am flying to Thailand via China Air with a plane change in Taipei. I am taking my cat, which is complicating things.

I have taken care of all the requirements for bringing my cat into Thailand but China Air says I also need a transit visa for my cat for the short period she'll be transported within the Taipei Airport. I've contacted the Taiwanese consulate and they can't give me any information about such a document. China Air insists I must have the document but they can't tell me how or where to get it. I'm pulling out my hair. Has anyone had this experience or know how I might try to solve the Kafkaesque dilemma?

Thanks.

posted in Expatriates - 1 reply

Aussie Rules on US TV

2006-03-22T17:36:29Z

If you wish to view Aussie Rules this year, I suggest that you contact your local PBS station and ask them to add this program to their line-up:

http://www.mhzworldview.org/dl/releases/200603.pdf

posted in Expatriates - 0 replies

Passport shuffle

2006-02-16T21:51:20Z

Anyone else encounter this situation? I have 3, which I understand is the most you can have from birth (I'm not naturalized anything): one from where I was born, one from my mom and one from my dad. So, at the moment, I carry current passports for EU, Mercosur and USA. Nice, in a way, to be able to live and work in 26 countries.

But following the letter of the law is tricky. My understanding is that the US and EU have laws stating that if you're a citizen, you must enter and leave on the local passport only. This has raised some eyebrows with US Immigration, since my American passport hasn't been stamped since between leaving and re-entering the country. And many European countries don't bother stamping in or out, so you'd never know I'd left Europe. The South American passport allows you to use any valid one, though they state they prefer their own if you have it.

All this results in a ridiculous juggling act when traveling. And since I don't really know the totality of countries I'll have to visit on a business trip, I have to carry all 3 passports if I carry one. (Don't even suggest consolidating into one -- given where politics has been going lately, there is no way I want to be tied down to one potentially onerous regime!)

posted in Expatriates - 3 replies

New Expat Site...

2005-04-21T14:05:36Z

Hey Guys...I am from New York City but living in London…You have to check out this new website I found... www.expats.com It’s really amazing.. It’s a social networking service just for expats!. I’ve never seen anything like this…its a community for expats where if you are married or single , you can go in and meet other people that are expats from the same place as you...they also have a huge classified ads section—I am going to try to buy a car through it...and events as well...I love the fact that someone finally figured out that we all really want to form a community and eventually hook up with each other and this seems like a really upscale way to do it...very cool...check it out...its growing really fast—there are also expat links with all kinds of expat resources

posted in Expatriates - 0 replies

France - ecumenial communities, ashrams, artist colonies - stay for free!

2004-10-06T17:11:46Z

Hello again,

In a tangent/follow up to my previous post, my plan B for learning French & living in a progressive arts environments is:

1. finding a way to stay for 3-6 months in France for free-cheap, & then

2. moving to Barcelona, Berlin or London (& seeking out a bit of a French speaking community once I got there)

I have experience WWOOFing in the past (working on an organic farm in exchange for food & board), & could do the same in France, but the wwoof hosts tend to be, quite understandably, very remote from civilization. And I'd like to try a different sort of arrangement if possible.

I have heard vague references in the past to ecumenial communities (one of which may be that of Thich Hat Nan - ?) & integral yoga centers in France & I wondered if anybody had any further knowledge of these or similar places - how life is there, & if a work-study type arrangement can be made - ??

Perhaps this is a shot in the dark, or a shout in the ether, but...any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

posted in Expatriates - 0 replies

France - hospitable progressive arts/music scene?

2004-10-06T17:01:42Z

As far as narrowing down the 'where to' search by language... I've decided to dedicate myself to becoming fluent in French.

However, in terms of progressive & accessible arts & music scenes, Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, London are always the cities mentioned...

I've been to & considered Montreal, but really have my sights set on that EU passport (as I'd like to eventually live & work in some of the above-mentioned cities after a time in France...)

Paris seems intimidating & a bit of a rat-race.

Can anyone suggest another city in France that might fit the above description? I started looking at Toulouse (I think its called) which was recently voted the nicest place to live in France & is located near Barcelona... or maybe someplace in the south, closer to Italy...or Strausbourg?

Any insights, ideas, tips, or relevant experiences you may have are welcome!

posted in Expatriates - 0 replies

Where to (for a shy artist/musician)?

2004-09-04T08:10:41Z

Hello,

I'm a 28 year old male researching study abroad (and hopefully eventual permanent relocation) options.

Right now I'm a little frustrated at the lack of surface information available to somebody with my hopes and needs.

I'm basically looking for advice to help me narrow down my potential destinations to a manageable few.

This is my wish list so far (it may shrink as my research continues):

1. Progressive/tolerant political and social environment.

2. Innovative, fertile and supported local music scene. The ability to join/start a music project that has some sort of audience (despite its relevance to surface trends - or lack of) is of extreme importance. (My tastes include Free-Jazz, Math-Rock, Avant-Noise, Experimental, Post-Punk...fugazi, mr. bungle, john zorn, the minutemen, mark ribot, fred frith, sonic youth, shellac, mogwai, godspeed, mike patton, secret chiefs 3...).

3. Friendly, warm, open and educated populace (accepting of outsiders/expatriates).

4. Friendly (and perhaps somewhat forward) dating environment (just in case I am single at that time). Somewhere where my shyness will not be a henderance or liability.

5. Good underground art/film scene. Hopefully this will also include many good film/media studies programs/schools. I would like to find a good support network within which I can nurture my documentary filmmaking habit.

Once the list is down to a manageable few, I'm going to a variety of schools in the listed cities and let that determine my fate.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much!

Dave

posted in Expatriates - 9 replies

New Tribe for British expatriates

2004-08-15T08:48:57Z

Hi! I've just created a new tribe for British expatriates to reminisce, get advice, share experiences and catch up on the latest news.

Please stop by for a cup of tea.

posted in Expatriates - 1 reply

Amsterdam and NL

2004-06-29T16:16:55Z

Anybody living, working, studying in Amsterdam or surrounding areas?
I have applied to two programs at UvA.
If accepted, I will be spending at least a year there.

Just thought I'd fish for a little advice in this tribe.

More specifically, I am interested to get a feel for the local arts/music scene there.
I would like to start a band or get involved in a free-jazz project when I'm there.

Thanks,
Dave

posted in Expatriates - 3 replies

aussie aussie aussie...oi,oi,oi

2003-12-30T23:20:08Z

G'day..
Born & raised in Aussieland....lived in far north..Canada for 13 yrs now...go home to Oz as much as I can.
Like to chat with other Aussies...or transplanted folk...who are blooming where they are rooted!!

posted in Expatriates - 1 reply

Reason for expatriation?

2003-12-28T16:36:56Z

My reasons were family and schooling. I Spent half of my life in the Philippines.

posted in Expatriates - 13 replies

words

2003-09-20T20:43:37Z

When I was in Peace Corps I tried to distance myself from the "expat" group of boozers and general opportunistic malcontents I heard using the moniker all the time. Which is not to say I didn't hang out with other "westerners". Now that I live in Germany, somehow, again, many of my friends are other "ausländer", be they the privileged types like me (who came here for love or a job or because they stayed on after an extended backpacking trip)or "economic" or political immigrants (who Germans like to call "asylum seekers"). What is an expat to you? I still can't identfy with the term but I don't have a beter one.

posted in Expatriates - 4 replies

Expat wannabe

2003-09-10T22:59:17Z

I'm looking to leave the U.S. and go to Europe and hopefully stay. Have anyone of you done this? Any advice, tales of experience etc? Any info would be much appreciated :)

posted in Expatriates - 1 reply