Best newspaper or news service interpretation of international affairs
AWARD YEAR: 2008
AWARD NAME: The Bob Considine Award 2008
RECIPIENT: Sudarsan Raghavan
AFFILIATION: The Washington Post
HONORED WORK: “Iraq: The Inheritors”
In “Iraq: The Inheritors” Sudarsan Raghavan profiles a cross section of Iraqis whose lives have been reshaped by war and who, ultimately, will be poised to help remake their country. He examines how the brutal tactics of the Fallujah police chief — a former insurgent whose brother’s head was sawn off with a razor blade — have stabilized the city. In Basra, Raghavan details the daily lives of residents enjoying fresh — and probably transitory — freedoms after the routing of religious militia. In Diyala province, Raghavan chronicles the tactics and tensions as an elite bomb disposal expert applies his techniques in an extremist stronghold. In Baghdad, Raghavan tells of a bookseller who refuses to leave his country even after narrowly surviving a car bombing that killed his son and brother. Overall, Raghavan’s work vividly conveys the nuances and ambiguities of a society in conflict. And in an extremely competitive field, his compelling and evocative writing made this entry a standout.
Citation for Excellence:
Jane Perlez
The New York Times
“Pakistan’s Descent”