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Your World Today

Abduction on a Grand Scale; Iran's Reaction to Call for Help; Democrats and Republicans Consider Presidential Bids

Aired November 14, 2006 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Abduction on a grand scale. More than 100 people are taken in a mass kidnapping at a Baghdad research facility.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Iran says yes to helping out in Iraq, no to giving up its nuclear dream.

GORANI: One whole week after U.S. midterm elections, it's time to turn the focus to the presidential race in 2008.

HOLMES: And do remember it is shaken and not stirred. James Bond returns to the silver screen with a new name in the old role.

Hello, everyone. It is 5:00 p.m. at MI 5 in London, 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

Welcome.

GORANI: He's Michael Holmes and I'm Hala gorani, and this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

HOLMES: All right. Let's begin in Iraq. An extraordinary story there. Another brazen act of lawlessness.

GORANI: Well, dozens of gunmen dressed in Iraqi please uniforms have stormed a government research institute in Baghdad, and they've abducted between 100 and 150 people.

HOLMES: Extraordinary. Apparently there were around 80 kidnappers. They took everyone from managers to the cleaners.

GORANI: The Associated Press is reporting that five senior police officers have now been arrested in association with that crime.

James Blake has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES BLAKE, REPORTER (voice over): The army arrived at the education ministry too late to stop what may have been the biggest mass kidnapping that Baghdad has witnessed. Dozens of armed militia wearing Iraqi commando police uniforms stormed the building at 10:00 this morning. They locked the women in a room and seized up to 150 men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Some of the vehicles drove deep into the street. Others blocked the street. "Go inside! Go inside!" they yelled, leaving no one out on the street. I went inside and I headed toward the ministry building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The staff were having their breakfast when they stormed the building. They did not come from the doors, but from the walls.

BLAKE: Already, this is being viewed as a sectarian attack. The Education Ministry is governed by the main Sunni-Arab group. The kidnappers are thought to be Shiite gunmen. But the Interior Ministry has admitted it doesn't know if they're searching for terrorists, militias, or even government forces. The armed group pretended to be from an agency fighting corruption.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They said that they were from the Commission on Public Integrity and that they had lists of wanted people. So they arrested, or rather kidnapped, all the men they found: deputy director generals, all employees, assistants and cleaners, leaving nobody behind.

BLAKE: Elsewhere in Iraq, the conflict has intensified. To the west, in Ramadi, American forces have been accused of killing at least 20 Iraqis in overnight raids involving ground troops and warplanes.

Last night, Tony Blair accused Iran and Syria of funding the insurgents. But in a meeting this afternoon, he'll tell the American- led Iraq Study Group that the two countries need to become part of the solution.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We offer Iran a clear strategic choice: They help the Middle East peace process, not hinder it; they stop supporting terrorism in Lebanon or Iran; they abide by, not flout their international obligations. In that case, a new partnership is possible.

BLAKE: This morning, the Iranian government said it had not received any new requests for negotiations, but it will review the prime minister's words.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Reviewing is different from giving a positive answer. We review any proposal when dealing with foreign relations. But it does not necessarily mean issuing a positive response.

BLAKE: America is still pushing for U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear network. But there is now increasing pressure for a new strategy and for talks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: That was James Blake reporting -- Michael.

HOLMES: Well, as we just heard there, the British prime minister, Tony Blair, speaks by video link today with a bipartisan group in Washington that is reviewing the war in Iraq. This follows U.S. President George W. Bush's meeting with that group on Monday. The White House and the Iraq Study Group, as it's called, are reluctant to talk about any specific ideas yet, but broad recommendations are being debated. They include withdrawing U.S. troops in phases to get Iraqis to take on more responsibility and reaching out to Syria and Iran to use their regional influence. There are indications that immediately withdrawing American troops or partioning Iraq along loosely ethnic lines have been largely rejected by the group.

GORANI: Well, for it's part, Iran says it's willing to participate in talks with the U.S., but has no plans on abandoning its nuclear ambitions. Quite the contrary, actually.

As Aneesh Raman reports, Tehran considers itself a regional powerhouse and says it's in a stronger position than ever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Not since the Islamic revolution in 1979 and the ensuing capture of American hostages has Iran so dominated world affairs. It's why Iran's president these days can't seem to hold back a smile, because a country once bordered by two enemies, Saddam's Iraq, and the Taliban's Afghanistan, a country that over the years methodically built alliances with Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas, sees right now as its defining moment, one with Iran as the superpower in the Middle East. And if there was any doubt, add in an Iraq that appears to be falling apart and suggestions the U.S. should talk to Tehran.

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): As for the U.S. government, we've always said we'll have a dialogue. But under certain conditions that have been created as a result of the behavior of the U.S. government themselves. If they fix their behavior towards us, we will have a dialogue with them, because that's the principle of our foreign policy.

RAMAN: Direct talks would help give the Islamic republic the stamp of approval as a regional power. But if the U.S. talks to Tehran, some analysts here and elsewhere say Iran's president would have little reason to back down on his nuclear program. A program that's become a rallying point of pride in the country. Even here at this reformist newspaper, where you find some of Ahmadinejad's hardest critics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Iran accepts that the U.S. is a superpower. But every time Iran's power is discussed, the U.S. portrays it as a threat.

RAMAN: But timing is everything. And the U.S. must now decide what is a greater threat, Iraq in chaos or a nuclear Iran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Let's bring in Aneesh Raman by videophone from Tehran for more on this. Well, Iran says it will push ahead with its nuclear program. The U.S. says it won't talk to Iran unless it suspends nuclear enrichment. The view from inside Iran now, does it -- do people there in Iran say the two countries are headed on a collision course?

RAMAN: Well, you got that sense really up until this visit. The last two times I've been here, Hala, people were really frightful that a U.S. military attack could come at any night. They think that a change in Congress with the Democrats and that the fact that Iraq has become such a critical issue and tangentially Iran may be being brought in through dialogues simmers things down. But as you mentioned, that is the crux of it, an impasse on the nuclear front.

Iran won't suspend the program, but it will talk. And everyone else says we won't talk until you suspend the program. It's hard to see how these countries will come together, but the only way they might come together is, of course, Iraq. And that's what Iran is banking on.

GORANI: What is said within Iran, inside of Iran, on what it could do to involve itself in trying to solve the Iraq problem then?

RAMAN: Well, among the people that quietly suggest that Iran can't do that much, that Iran, they say, isn't destabilizing the country, they voice what their government leaders have said. But they do think and they voice again what their leaders say when it comes to Iraq, that if Iran gets involved, the U.S., Iran would call for -- gets out of Iraq. It becomes a regional issue.

Iran, though, inherently would then spread its influence, would take care of Iraq in a sort of paternal way. And that is what has risen fears within Baghdad, within Iraq, and is in part why the Sunni insurgency is still fighting against Iranian influence. But in Iran, the people, they don't want to be really dealing with any of this. They don't care as much about foreign affairs.

They've got huge domestic concerns, an economy that is failing. Unemployment is high. Inflation is high.

And so they would quietly tell you they prefer their government to concentrate on its own house. And that is a pressure that is starting to mount from within on Ahmadinejad to deliver on domestic issues, rather than concentrating so much time on foreign affairs.

GORANI: All right. Aneesh Raman in Tehran.

All right. Let's turn our attention to the growing battle of wills in Lebanon.

HOLMES: Indeed. The Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora, says he is not going to give in to "tyranny of the minority."

GORANI: The political struggle tops our check of other stories making news around the world.

And the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, says the Siniora government will soon be replaced by a "clean cabinet." Nasrallah is trying to ease fears that Lebanon is descending into political chaos by promising that Hezbollah will guard the country's stability. Tensions rose further Monday when the Siniora government approved a United Nations plan for an international tribunal in the case of the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.

HOLMES: Still in the region, Hamas says it would not recognize Israel even after a new Palestinian unity government takes power, but Hamas suggests the emerging coalition is going to be free to take a more moderate position. This way, Hamas can keep its anti-Israel ideology but open the door to the possibility of easing international sanctions.

GORANI: With nearly all votes counted in the historic election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Joseph Kabila still holds a commanding lead over his challenger, Vice President Jean- Pierre Bemba. But Bemba is alleging fraud.

Final preliminary results are to be published Tuesday, but an official announcement must await investigation of those fraud allegations.

HOLMES: All right. 007 gets an extreme makeover.

GORANI: Just ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY, moviegoers prepare to meet the new James Bond. Critics say he's better than ever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's only 23 years old. And he said that he was already dead inside. He would just say that he was a killer machine now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Reaching the breaking point. An Iraqi war veteran commits a desperate act after escaping death on the battlefield.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back to CNN International.

HOLMES: Yes, you're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, the official Democratic takeover of Congress now just six weeks way. And the U.S. Capitol already buzzing with excitement.

More than 50 incoming House members gathered -- you see them there -- for their traditional freshman class photo. That was just a short time ago. Newly-elected members of the House and Senate are attending orientation sessions on the Hill.

Meanwhile, new polls show that the Democrats have managed to overcome their image on being soft on security. Sixty-three percent of Americans now say it is unlikely that congressional Democrats would weaken national security. According to the "USA Today"-Gallup poll, 33 percent of Americans say they believe Democrats will, however, weaken national security.

GORANI: Well, as Democrats get busy picking their leaders for Congress, politicians from both parties are already eying the race for the presidency. Candidates who embrace the new spirit of bipartisanship are likely to come out on top in 2008. That is according to our senior political correspondent, Bill Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): Last week's midterm was the first primary of 2008, and it showed a big market for outsiders who can promise change. That's good news for Rudy Giuliani, who took the first step toward a presidential bid. It's good news for any Republican who can speak the language of bipartisanship.

Here's one.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Are we doing the things organizationally and legally that need to be done to prepare for it? Yes.

SCHNEIDER: His strong national security credentials are no small thing after a midterm where Iraq was a big issue. Neither Giuliani nor McCain is particularly trusted by conservatives. Giuliani especially, because his positions are more out of line with those of conservatives -- abortion rights, gun control and gay rights.

Do conservatives have a strong contender for 2008? Auditions are open. Senators George Allen and Rick Santorum were once talked about as hot prospects. No more.

Bill Frist was badly tarnished as well after Republicans lost the Senate.

Newt Gingrich is also mulling a bid. He's been out of the game long enough that he gets to say, "I told you so."

Mitt Romney's lieutenant governor lost the race to succeed him as governor. But not doing well in Massachusetts could be a plus to Republicans.

On the Democratic side, several potential contenders can claim foreign policy expertise -- Wesley Clark, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden.

And John Kerry? The 2006 campaign was not so good for him.

The antiwar message was powerful this year. Is there a candidate to carry that banner for 2008?

Not this one.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: I never reached the point where I really wanted to run for president.

SCHNEIDER: Which could clear the way for Al Gore, the Democrats' "Mr. I Told You So."

Economic populism had a lot of resonance this year. That's John Edwards' message. But two Democratic senators were the clearest winners.

Hillary Clinton coasted to reelection in New York.

Next question...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When will you address the question of whether you'll be running?

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: You know, I am going to relish this victory.

SCHNEIDER: Barack Obama is the Democrats' new star. Less political baggage than Senator Clinton. Outsider image.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Nothing that happened tonight would discourage me from -- from making that race.

SCHNEIDER: His limited experience a problem? Not if the market for change stays strong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Bill Schneider reporting there from Washington.

HOLMES: And now the shift to a Democratic majority could also bode well for big American car makers.

GORANI: Gerri Willis joins us from New York with the details and to answer that particular question.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

GORANI: He's yet to spur a rally in the stock exchange, but James Bond has done just about everything else.

HOLMES: Yes. When YOUR WORLD TODAY returns, the movie has been made before, but this time, of course, there is a new 007. As if you didn't know. We'll introduce to you James Bond number six.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello, everyone. I'm Tony Harris at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. But first, a check on stories makes headlines in the United States.

We're following a developing story this hour out of Miami. Police are searching for a pair of armed robbery suspects. They crashed their vehicle in the middle of a busy intersection and fled on foot. A nearby school, Jackson Senior High, is in lockdown while the suspects remain on the loose.

On Capitol Hill, a changing of the guard. Senate Democrats have just elected their new leaders. The party is getting ready to rule both houses of Congress. Harry Reid of Nevada will serve as Senate majority leader when the 110th Congress convenes in January.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: We know that America has spoken. And we must do everything we can to move the country forward. We're going to do it in the spirit of bipartisanship. We're certainly going to do it openly and obtain results.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: In addition to Reid's election as majority leader, Senator Dick Durbin will be the new majority whip. Senator Charles Schumer will continue as chairman of the party's campaign committee, and he'll get a new title, vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

Smile for the camera. Exactly one week after the midterm elections, congressional freshmen posed for their class photo. Dozens of soon-to-be House and Senate members assembled on the Capitol steps this morning. They're also going through orientation sessions to learn all about their new jobs.

From Motown, a message for Washington. President Bush is sitting down with leaders of the big three automakers next hour. They want to talk about the rising cost of healthcare and trade issues which they say give Japanese automakers an advantage.

Later today, the president will leave on an eight-day trip to Asia. While there, the president will attend an economic summit in Vietnam. He'll also make a brief stop in Moscow.

His travels also includes stops in Singapore and Indonesia. Trade and terrorism are on the agenda.

Just in time for flu season, a warning about one of the most popular flu medicines, Tamiflu. The Food & Drug Administration adding a new precaution to the Tamiflu label.

It tells patients to watch for signs of strange behavior. Things like hallucinations and delirium.

The move comes after dozens of strange behavior in Japan. Most of the patients were children. The FDA says it's not clear if the behavior is linked to Tamiflu or if it's just a product of the flu itself.

Let's get a check of the nation's weather. Jacqui Jeras in the weather center.

Hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Tony. (WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Want to have a holly, jolly holiday season? You've got to make sure the toys you get for your children are safe. Before you head to the malls, some tips out today from the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

First up, read the label. Make sure your gifts are age appropriate.

Next, get toys that suit your child's age, abilities and skill levels.

If the child is underage, don't buy toys that have sharp edges or points. Remember your mother's warning? You can put an eye out with that? Toys with those nifty things that shoot into the air really can cause eye injuries.

And finally, a warning about those battery chargers and adapters. Keep them away from the children. They can get burned.

But by all means, have a good time. Have fun.

Basketball coach Bobby Knight back in the news, not because his team won again -- which they did -- but because of this, an incident with one of his Texas Tech players, forward Michael Prince.

ESPN showed the replays. Watch it and judge for yourself. What do you think? Emotional outburst contributed to the coach losing his job at Indiana. Knight had nothing to say about the incident in his post-game news conference.

Methamphetamine, it's highly addictive, incredible destructive. It is quietly becoming an epidemic in the gay community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wanted our sexuality back, and oh, boy, we got it back. We got it back with a vengeance. And in that environment, crystal meth was allowed to kind of blossom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: At 1:00 p.m. in the NEWSROOM, Don Lemon's candid conversation with a meth addict featured in a new documentary about the illegal drug.

That and more at the top of the hour in the "NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips and Don Lemon.

YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break. I'm Tony Harris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK) HOLMES: It is called post-traumatic stress disorder. It was once known as shellshock or even combat fatigue. And both returning veterans, as well as -- and this is important -- Iraqi civilians caught up in the violence experience the mental trauma. We're going to focus on both groups this hour.

Meanwhile, the Veterans Administration estimates that 15 percent of returning soldiers from Iraq suffer from this particular stress disorder. That is roughly one is six troops. It could take months before symptoms begin to occur. It doesn't just affect soldiers, of course. Anyone who's experienced a terrifying physical or emotional event is susceptible to this. Post-traumatic stress comes in many forms, many degrees of severity.

Let's run through the symptoms for you now. Some patients do become very irritable, and that's an early sign. They may suffer even violent outbursts, and they also have trouble at work or socializing with friends.

Now the war or trauma could follow them in less obvious ways. Many experience flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety attacks or lose touch with reality. This disorder not surprisingly, is a life-changing experience for both the patient, also the family, and especially for those who don't reach out for help, it can be a life threatening experience.

Anderson Cooper now with the story of one soldier who reached breaking point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An early morning last May in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a neighborhood wakes to a mass lockdown. A police sniper takes aim, a bomb squad stands by, and a S.W.A.T. team prepares to storm a house.

Inside, an Iraq war vet Matthew Vargas sits alone, threatening to kill himself.

MARY LOU MUNOZ, MOTHER OF MATTHEW VARGAS: That day he wanted to die. Matthew attempted suicide in my garage that morning. He had a cord wrapped around his neck. When I went in the garage, he was too heavy for the cord and it broke, and he was on the garage floor when I found him.

COOPER: Vargas' family couldn't believe it had come to this. After months of seeking help for him, rescuers had at last arrived, but they'd come with guns drawn.

MUNOZ: And I said, why are you here now? Where have you been? And then I started thinking, well, you are too late.

APRIL VARGAS, WIFE OF MATTHEW VARGAS: Who is that?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Daddy.

VARGAS: What's his name? Do you know his name?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.

VARGAS: Matt.

COOPER: Five months before the standoff, home on leave with his family, Matthew Vargas went AWOL, refusing to return to Fort Drum in upstate New York, and from there, back to Iraq.

His wife, April, remembers how withdrawn he had become and why.

VARGAS: He just kind of just started to isolate himself. And I would ask him about it. And finally, he said that when he got shot, it just was an eye opener for him like he could never see his daughter again if he went back.

COOPER: It was a firefight after an ambush near Abu Ghraib. Three insurgents were killed. Private Vargas took a bullet to the chest. His Kevlar vest saved his life.

The family believes his brush with death touched off his depression and a diagnosis from the family doctor of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

When Vargas started isolating himself in the house, the family knew he needed help.

MUNOZ: He is only 23 years old, and he said that he was already dead inside. He would just say that he was a killer machine now. That's the way he described himself.

COOPER: Days before he was scheduled to redeploy to Iraq, his mother and wife say they repeatedly called Fort Drum and a local military chaplain, but Matthew's sergeant was blunt.

MUNOZ: Tell Matthew he needs to be on the plane and he better be back in New York. And he wouldn't speak to me. He wouldn't talk about it. He said, we've all been through a lot. And he just hung up on me.

VARGAS: I was surprised they didn't help. They are so quick to getting you signed up, telling you all the benefits. And when he was getting deployed, I had all these support groups. But when I needed help the most, it seemed like nobody was there.

COOPER: In an e-mail, a Fort Drum spokesman told CNN, "Vargas' claim that he was not afforded assistance for his perceived mental and emotional needs is ill founded. His chain of command was not given the opportunity to evaluate his condition and render any necessary assistance due directly to his willful and unlawful absence from his unit." The spokesman went on to say, "Soldiers who ask for help get some of the best care that can be had."

On the day of the armed stand off, Vargas' father, Marty, a CNN engineer, caught the first flight to Albuquerque. MARTY VARGAS, FATHER OF MATTHEW VARGAS: I didn't even want to get on the airplane because I was afraid that things would happen while I was on the airplane and as soon as I got off the airplane they would tell me that my son was shot dead.

Matthew had told me once that he had nothing left to live for anymore, that his country gave up on him, and he felt maybe his family gave up on him, too. At that time I kind of felt that he was already emotionally dead.

COOPER: By the time Private Vargas' father landed, the nine-hour standoff was over.

ANSWERING MACHINE: You have one old message.

COOPER: There was a message on his voice mail.

MATTHEW VARGAS, SUFFERS FROM PTSD (RECORDING ON ANSWERING MACHINE): It's Matthew. I don't know if my Dad's in town yet or not, but tell him that I love him and I'll try to call back later today.

MARTY VARGAS: I think he had given up at that point. It was his good bye.

I think he needs to see that we're here for him.

COOPER: It was not Matthew Vargas' last good-bye. He surrendered shortly after the house was tear-gassed, walking out unharmed.

The following day, his family tried to visit him in jail.

MARTY VARGAS: I'm so thankful today -- I really am -- that he is alive and that we can help him now.

COOPER: In June, Matthew Vargas was charged with desertion, but ultimately convicted of a lesser charge, going AWOL. His family says he continues to struggle with depression. The terms of his discharge make him ineligible for unemployment benefits. Vargas might be able to get medical benefits, including counseling, if he applies to the Veterans Administration, but he's told his family he's not ready to take that step.

MARTY VARGAS: Well, we'll go in and see what happens.

I know that the rough road is not over for my son. I hope that the military will step up and acknowledge that Matthew does have a problem. And it's not one of fear. It's one of the psyche.

No, I think they...

COOPER: A Vietnam Veteran himself, Marty Vargas speaks from experience.

MARTY VARGAS: In war, you hear people screaming, crying. You hear a lot of sounds that you are not really used to. And these sounds and visuals come back to haunt you for the rest of your life.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, the change from the battlefield to the home front may be traumatic, but Americans do come home to a world of peace. Iraqis face more trauma and violence. The sheer numbers are staggering, while statistics, of course, always hard to come by in Iraq. Iraq's health ministry recently estimated that 150,000 Iraqis have been killed in this war.

The "British Medical Journal" reports the nation may suffer a double blow by first losing a sizable portion of the population and second, by having tens of thousands of citizens with post-traumatic stress disorder. Doctors say cultural barriers that prevent people from getting help compound the problem. Women in particular, may be less likely to help -- seek help because of the stigma. Children, three times as likely to suffer from depression.

And to get some idea about the magnitude of the problem, let's go back a little while. Earlier this year, I visited a doctor in Baghdad. In January, this was. I talked to him and some of his patients who said they felt terribly insecure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): The waiting room at Dr. Alharid Abdul-Hamid (ph) psychiatry practice is never empty these days. Young and old, they come, stressed out, depressed, desperately unhappy with their lives in the new Iraq.

ALHARID ABDUL HAMID, PSYCHIATRIST: They had a sort of hope that things are going to be better. Unfortunately, over the last three years, since the changes, things went back. And it's getting more and more bad.

HOLMES: Dr. Hamid says security is key to good mental health, it's a commodity in short supply, however, in Baghdad.

The main thing, they feel that they are not secure in their houses. Not secure while they're walking in the streets. They're not secure even in their work.

HOLMES: A view reflected on the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's constant fear from the unknown because when you wake up in the morning, you don't know what will happen or what you're going to face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There had been many psychological changes. The gasoline, the power crisis. They affect the psychology of people in particular.

HOLMES: Back at Dr. Hamid's office, an elderly patient is checked out. HOLMES (translating): Your blood pressure is too high with your anxiety, says the doctor. Keep taking your medicine.

In the corridor, waiting his turn, a depressed 25-year-old, Hedi Aba-Ali (ph)

ALI (through translator): My psychological state is very bad. I'm very tense because of the current situation.

HOLMES: According to Dr. Hamid, his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is at an all-time high. Even in a place that's meant to be an escape from the pressures, the electricity flickers. He writes many prescriptions for medication, but disturbingly, sees illegal drugs being sought out as a refuge from the violence.

HAMID: Starting from the beginning of 2004, we started to see patients suffering from addiction from independence on hashish and morphine and things like that.

HOLMES: Dr. Hamdi sees as many patients as time allows. He's booked solid for the next month and hasn't even started looking at the month after. Sadly, he says, business is booming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: As I said, I reported that story from Baghdad back in January. Looking at it again all these months later and I just returned from another trip there, I wouldn't change a word of that story. The situation is the same, if not worse.

Now more of the emotional trauma faced by both troops and Iraqi civilians and to get something of an idea about the seriousness of the problem, we turn to Anthony Feinstein, a post-traumatic stress disorder expert. He's with the University of Toronto. he joins us now live from there. Good to see you, Anthony and thanks for your time.

Let's talk, first of all, about the soldiers. I remember talking to soldiers in Baghdad who said that their job essentially was to drive around in their Humvees waiting to get blown up. What does that sort of mentality lead to?

ANTHONY FEINSTEIN, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: Well, potentially, there's going to be a minority of soldiers who could develop stress reactions when faced by grave danger. I think the data shows that this minority can show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. There may be significant depressive reactions, other anxiety disorders. And the rates of substance abuse might go up as well.

HOLMES And do you think that this is, at times, a undiagnosed problem? That even the soldiers themselves may not realize they have it?

FEINSTEIN: I think awareness of these problems is increasing. But unlike physical illness, the toll exerted by psychological symptoms may be more difficult to detect. And undoubtedly there are going to be some soldiers in distress, whose illness or symptoms go undetected.

HOLMES: Soldiers of course we've talked about. Let's talk about people. Ordinary people, years, literally of tension, of death. And the stress of not knowing when they may be subject to violence. How would that apply to within a society like the Iraqi society?

FEINSTEIN: Well, clearly the levels of danger are enormous. It's a day to day occurrence faced by citizens who have no escape. And that must be an overwhelming way of life for these citizens to lead. When you compare it to soldiers or journalists, for example, there's often a way out. When the tour of duty ends, you can leave that particular environment. But for the Iraqi citizens, the majority cannot escape the day-to-day attrition. And I would imagine that the levels of stress are high, and as you report, highlighted, those few psychiatrists remaining in Iraq have very busy practices.

HOLMES: One thing that strikes me is the children. I remember being in Gaza once, and there being a rocket attack on some militants. And seeing children as young as nine, literally looking for body parts and collecting them for the ambulance officers. In Iraq, you see children moments after a large explosion around there with body parts and things like that. What is the long-term impact on children? Some of these kids don't look like at the time that they are affected?

FEINSTEIN: Well, I think potentially the long-term risks can be quite severe. I know there's some data to suggest otherwise. But an unrelenting diet of trauma, being exposed to death as a daily occurrence cannot be good as a nurturing experience for children. And they may show some stress reactions and how they tend to view the world can be altered as well. So potentially, the long-term consequences could be very harmful.

HOLMES Always good to see you and get your thoughts. Anthony Feinstein joining us from Toronto, one of the world's leading experts on post-traumatic stress. And we're going to take a short break now. We'll be back.

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GORANI: There he is, the new James Bond. Daniel Craig, arriving at the premiere of "Casino Royale" in London in the United Kingdom. A lot riding on this. He's the sixth Jane Bond -- James Bond, rather. Will he be able to keep the franchise alive? That's a big question. All eager to see the movie here.

Well, welcome back to CNN International. We're seen live in more than 200 countries around the globe including the U.K. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

HOLMES: Gorani, Hala, Gorani.

GORANI: Now for something completely different, a stark and uncompromising message from the U.S. commerce secretary that China's piracy must stop. Carlos Gutierrez is warning that rampant counterfeiting is eroding U.S. support for trade with China. Washington is considering complaining to the WTO about it, but the secretary also said there has been some progress. Jaime FlorCruz explains.

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JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You ask Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, pressing the Chinese leadership, to crack down on piracy of intellectual property. This time, he sees encouraging signs.

CARLOS GUTIERREZ, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: I'd like to mention President Hu and Premier Wen and Vice Premiere Wu have shown strong leadership to attack this problem because it's a very large problem for all parties.

FLORCRUZ: Piracy in China cost U.S. businesses $2.4 billion a year. Undergoing pressure, China has launched a nationwide campaign, raiding shops, bulldozing pirated goods, and arresting serious violators. Such campaigns are forcing pirates underground. Behind the screen of this handy craft store is a passage that much leads to basements, stacked with pirated DVDs, including Hollywood hits that sell for only $1 or $2.

China is also holding a public education campaign.

LIU BINJIE, PRESS AND PUBLICATION, ADM (through translator): We will educate elementary and middle school students about intellectual property rights so they will reject piracy. We will also educate the general public to help them realize that buying pirated goods issuing wrong.

FLORCRUZ: Analysts say it's also in China's interests to go after the pirates as they start do counterfeit other products.

FRANK HAWKE, KROLL: They'll move from luxury goods and DVDs and CDs into pharmaceuticals, chemical intermediates, food additives, electronic products. And these are products where you have serious safety issues, where people actually are buying, thinking it's the real thing.

FLORCRUZ: Piracy is also hampering China's push for research and innovation.

GUTIERREZ: China is evolving and moving into an innovation economy. And I know that there's a vision that President Hu has laid out for an innovation society. And you can't be an innovation society without having intellectual property rights protection.

FLORCRUZ: Beijing officials agree that more, tougher measures are needed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): China's IPR law is not perfect. Even when we catch street vendors, we can't punish them if they're not selling a specific amount of pirated goods. We can only warn them. But after they're set free, they continue selling.

FLORCRUZ (on camera): If I were passing by this neighborhood a few months ago, I would have been quickly accosted by vendors sending pirated DVDs. This time, they seem to be in hiding, a sign perhaps that China's anti-piracy campaign may be starting to bite. Jaime FlorCruz, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Now it's one of those times when we must issue a warning to our viewers.

HOLMES: Do not adjust your television set, she really is that beautiful. Coming up, now this guy looks like he's caught in a purple haze and he is. That's a little bit tricky. Could be a good present for Christmas for someone. We'll explain when we come back.

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HOLMES: We end the program with this musical coda.

GORANI: For the frustrated rock star in all of us.

HOLMES: If your favorite air guitar fantasy is Jimi Hendrix doing purple haze, this guy's T-shirt might be for you and no, you are not hallucinating.

GORANI: The guy on solo guitar is Richard Helmar (ph). He's a research engineer from Australia. He's developed a fabric that interprets the way you move your arms and really is a wireless way. Sorry, I'm in trouble. But, interprets the way I'm moving my arms. Computer from audio generation, let's get technical, it's called precision textile motion sensor.

HOLMES: Unbelievable. We unbelievable that Richard got a guitar T-shirt, requires special handling. Dry clean only. And on that note, that's it for this hour. I'm Michael Holmes.

GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani. Stay with us, this is CNN. Much more ahead.

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