|
|
|
February 23, 1998
TAKING IN THE SITES / By SETH SCHIESEL
The Internet Gears Up for Conflict With Iraq
t has become fashionable recently to say the Internet has come of age as a news vehicle. As O.J. Simpson made his second run through the limelight, the Internet came of age. When robots landed on Mars, the Internet came of age.
One could believe that the experts, having repeatedly heralded the Internet's maturity, would now allow cyberspace to age gracefully. But that probably would be wrong. As President Clinton was attempting to build support for a possible attack on Iraq, the Internet was getting ready to grow up all over again.
It is unlikely that the Internet would gain as much attention from another U.S.-Iraq conflict as Cable News Network did from the first; videos of bombs falling down chimneys do not look as compelling in jerky little computer windows as they do on television. But the sheer volume of information about Iraq's military systems that is available online could make Americans more informed than they have been leading up to any other potential military engagement.
The most sensitive military information is not available online. For instance, the Defense Intelligence Agency, which surely must be tracking Iraq's Republican Guard, runs a relentlessly uninformative Web site.
The Perry-Castaņeda Library Map Collection site features numerous maps of Iraq.
And it would appear next to impossible to independently verify much of the information that is available on the Web. But that should not bother experienced Web surfers.
The U.S. government provides many Web pages about Iraq, but not much information. The U.S. Information Agency, which functions in part as the government's overseas public relations operation, runs a page that outlines what seems to be the administration's official posture toward Iraq. The site also includes links to large maps of Iraq maintained at the University of Texas.
But the agency's fact sheet on Iraq's "Program of Weapons of Mass Destruction" is fairly thin. Far more illuminating is the text of a background briefing given by Pentagon officials last November on Iraq's chemical and biological weapons program, including a discussion of anthrax, that is found on Defenselink, the armed forces' site.
On Defenselink, there is also a big picture of a Scud missile launcher, but it can only be viewed if the user states an organizational affiliation and a purpose in obtaining the photo. Defenselink is more forthcoming on U.S. weaponry, with files on many different systems available.
The U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for the U.S. armed forces in the Middle East, includes in its Web site a cursory political analysis of the nations under its scrutiny.
There is far more detailed information about Iraqi forces available outside of the government. The Federation of American Scientists runs perhaps the most complete site, with pictures of Iraqi military installations and information on Iraq's missile capabilities.
That site is complemented by a site run by the Center for Defense and International Security Studies at Britain's Lancaster University. That organization takes a serious interest in missile proliferation and maintains detailed country-by-country tables detailing missile forces.
People with a serious interest in chemical warfare may be interested in a site run by Mario Profaca, a free-lance journalist. On his site, Profaca includes what he describes as a declassified report from the Central Intelligence Agency that includes information on various chemical and biological weapons, Iraqi production facilities and delivery systems (planes and missiles).
The Jane's line of publications from Britain includes an overview of Iraq's military, but most of the company's resources, including "Jane's Missiles and Rockets" are accessible only for a fee.
There are also more overtly political sites run by groups debating the U.S. stance toward Iraq. A group called the Iraq Action Coalition uses its site to advocate an end to sanctions. One of the coalition's mirror opposites is the Center for Security Policy, a Washington think tank. The center uses its site largely to excoriate President Clinton for not being tough enough on Saddam Hussein, issuing papers like "Accept No Substitutes: Clinton Address on Iraq Signals Continuing Failure to Grasp Need for Toppling Saddam."
TAKING IN THE SITES is published weekly, on Mondays. Click here for a list of links to other columns in the series.
Related Sites
Following are links to the external Web sites mentioned in this article. These sites are not part of The New York Times on the Web, and The Times has no control over their content or availability. When you have finished visiting any of these sites, you will be able to return to this page by clicking on your Web browser's "Back" button or icon until this page reappears.
- Defense Intelligence Agency
- Defenselink
- Iraq Action Coalition
- U.S. Central Command
- Mario Profaca's Iraqi Chemical Warfare Data
- Jane's
- U.S. Information Agency
- Federation of American Scientists
- Centre for Defence and International Security Studies
- University of Texas, Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection
Also of interest:
- Israel Defense Forces
- Milnet
- Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
- Center for Security Policy
|