April 10, 2007
Video Coming Soonish
I have a fair amount of video from Iraqi Kurdistan shot with my new HD (high definition) camera, but I can't edit or publish it until I get home and have access to a more powerful computer.
In the meantime, my colleague Patrick Lasswell shot some video using a less high-tech camera, and he is able to post that from here. Talk a walk with him through the souk in Suleimaniya.
Posted by Michael J. Totten at April 10, 2007 08:26 AMIf I'd realized what the editing load on that was I might have gone with a cheaper, more road-friendly camera. On the other hand, I think some of our coverage shots of the mountains are going to be amazing.
Just as soon as we have a computer with quad-processors and 8GB of RAM...
Posted by: Patrick S Lasswell at April 10, 2007 09:12 AMWhat do you think, would they let an Israeli in (on Israeli pasport - flight from Amman) ?
Posted by: Me at April 11, 2007 10:38 AMOne (maybe-stupid) question for you all (and, particularly, Michael). I'm an adventurous 25-year-old male, and - largely as a result of Michael's reports from there - I'd love to visit Iraqi Kurdistan. But I'm also Jewish. If I went, I wouldn't advertise that piece of information, and I don't "look Jewish" at all...and I've read about the Kurds' respect for Jews and support for Israel and all...but I remain(perhaps irrationally) a tad frightened to hang out in freaking Iraq as a Jew. Should I be?
Posted by: M L at April 11, 2007 11:04 AMIsraelis can and do come here legeally.
Iraqi Kurds are absolutely not anti-Semitic. They would much rather you be a Jew than an Arab, but it's also okay if you're an Arab -- as far as most people are concerned. There are Arabs around, and they are treated cordially if not embraced with enthusiasm.
Seriously, you don't have to worry about these things here. You will be startled by the staunch pro-Israel sentiment in Iraqi Kurdistan.
I was paranoid when I first got here. I'm totally over it. I'm not Jewish or Israeli, but if I were it wouldn't make any difference.
Posted by: Michael J. Totten at April 11, 2007 11:10 AMRE: m_l
I am jewish and definitely look jewish. I have dated a Muslim Kurd, and she told me her parents (originallly from Turkish 'kurdistan' actually have a lot of Israeli jewish kurd friends. So, to mirror what Michael said, I dont think the Kurds per se have a problem with it.
Posted by: Aleksandr at April 11, 2007 12:00 PMP.S.
In fact her mother told her that she should marry a wealthy jew :-)
Did you have to travel to Sulemania via Kirkuk? If so, how safe is it (Kirkuk)? Is there other way from Erbil to Sulemania?
Posted by: Me at April 13, 2007 07:20 AM
