I’ve checked in occasionally on Michael Totten’s Middle East Journal for his independent reporting on the middle east. Most recently a few months back when he was reporting on the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. And a while ago he posted some good material from Kurdistan. His entries are relatively long by Internet standards, but they tend to be worth the read.
He is now in Baghdad. His reporting from there has started. He is “embedded” so not a complete freelancer of course and what he sees is going to be somewhat controlled. But it is still fascinating. I’m linking to the articles so far below, and will be checking his site for the continuations as they happen.
I’ve been meaning to post these for the last few days but just now got to it. Do check it out. Totten is a good story teller and gives flavor you don’t usually get from elsewhere.
Also of note, the picture he paints (at least so far) is a bit more positive than what you hear elsewhere. Of course, as mentioned, that is undoubtedly related to the specific places he is. Anecdotes never give a complete picture.