News stories by Karlos Zurutuza*

I came across an anti-Gaddafi demonstration for the first time in February 2011 in Baghdad’s Tahrir square. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — Tunisia’s former ruler - had left the country a few weeks ago and then Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak would be ousted only a few days later. In the framework of the 'Arab spring', angry Iraqis were also protesting against their corrupt government and the lack of opportunities.