Kurdistan - The Other Iraq

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The Kurdistan—The Other Iraq campaign, managed by the Kurdistan Development Corporation (KDC), first "launched on US television networks and print media in the week beginning Monday, November 7th 2005," according to a November 28, 2005, KDC news release. [1]

"The campaign includes a message of thanks from the people of Iraqi Kurdistan to the people of America for their role in the liberating of Iraq and continues with information on the relative security and investment potential of the Region. Ms Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Chairman of the KDC spent a week in Washington being interviewed on US networks and radio," the news release said.

Promoting the Iraq within Iraq

Qubad Talabani, a former car mechinic who is the son of Iraq's president Jalal Talabani and who represents the Kurdish Regional Government in Washington, "has enormous clout." [2]

"With Sunni and Shiite Arabs locked in a bloody sectarian war, Iraq's Kurds are promoting their interests through an influence-buying campaign in the United States that includes airing nationwide television advertisements, hiring powerful Washington lobbyists and playing parts of the U.S. government against each other," Rajiv Chandrasekaran reported April 23, 2007, in the Washington Post.

Russo Marsh & Rogers' role

In November 2005, the public was invited to support the "The Other Iraq" by mailing contributions to Move America Forward, "ATTN: Pro-Troop Holiday Ad Fund", in Sacramento, CA.

In late July 2006, the Kurdish Regional Government in Northern Iraq commenced running the television ad campaign again in both the United States and the UK. The campaign is "aimed at attracting potential US and British investors to the region," the Turkish online publication Hürriyet reported July 27, 2006. The US public relations firm Russo Marsh & Rogers "is responsible for the ads, which were put together in coordination with the Northern Iraqi Kurdish led government."

Russo Marsh & Rogers also "founded the 'Stop Michael Moore' campaign to discredit the film Fahrenheit 9/11 and a group called 'Move America Forward', which has brought parents of dead soldiers to be counter-protesters at peace demonstrations," Aaron Glantz wrote July 31, 2006, for Inter Press News Service.

"The firm has also brought right-wing talk-show hosts to Iraq" on a "Truth Tour" "to tell 'the good news that the old-line liberal news media won't tell you about'," Glantz wrote.

Domain name

The THEOTHERIRAQ.COM domain name was created January 11, 2005, registered to TUCOWS Inc. and with an Amsterdam IP address.

Contact information

Kurdistan Development Corporation
Phone US: 916 233-4055 / 781-0659
Phone UK: +44 (0)20 7170 4300
Website: http://www.kurdistancorporation.com/
Website: http://theotheriraq.com/

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