Where Angelina Jolie goes, the spotlight follows. And this week, she's helping shine some much needed attention on the plight of Iraqi refugees.
The Oscar-winning thesp has touched down in Baghdad as part of her most recent globetrotting mission as a UN Goodwill Ambassador, speaking with soldiers, local government, displaced citizens and, of course, the media.
The 32-year-old do-gooder traveled to the war-torn city with Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky to learn more about the 4 million Iraqis who have been displaced by the war, 58 percent of whom are children under the age of 12. That statistic particularly haunts Jolie, who traveled abroad sans her famous brood (hypothetical buns in the oven, notwithstanding).
"I always hate speculation on the news, so I don't want to be someone who speculates," Jolie said in an interview with CNN. "But I think it's clear, I think a displaced, unstable population...what happens in Iraq and how Iraq settles in years to come is going to affect the entire Middle East. It does have broad implications."
Six months ago, Jolie made her first investigative trip as an ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to Syria. She called this follow-up trip, dangerous though it may be, a no-brainer.
"The global community always has a responsibility to any humanitarian crisis," she said. "It was an easy choice to make. I felt I had to come here because it is very difficult to get answers. Even UNHCR, who I traditionally work with, they're not able to be inside at the moment. I was very frustrated, getting papers but not really knowing what's going on."
This excursion, during which Jolie has already lunched with troops, met with the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, as well as with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other migration officials, is an attempt by Jolie to ease her own and the public's frustration and hopefully spur global communities into action.
"There doesn't seem to be a real coherent plan to help them," Jolie said. "There's lots of goodwill and lots of discussion, but there seems to be a lot of talk at the moment, and a lot of pieces need to be put together. I'm trying to figure out what they are."
Still, Jolie cautions that her involvement and concern don't make her an expert or someone who has the key to peace in the Middle East.
"I'm not good at policy and fixing all this and saying what's wrong, but I do know that, for example, UNHCR needs to be more active inside Iraq. In order for that to happen, they feel strongly about having better protection, better security. I don't have the answers, but I know this is one thing that needs to be addressed and that needs to be resolved."
"Many different people can be cynical, and I will ask them...is there something we need to understand more, is there anything we can do?"
Most important, Jolie, who is expected to return to the U.S. Thursday night after her brief stint in Baghdad's Green Zone, said her main message in returning from the region is to convince people of the broader implications of instability in Iraq, particularly the instability caused by displaced residents who have been unable to return to their homes.
"If it is not stable, it could affect the entire Middle East, and that could affect the entire world. I don't see borders, I see lives and I see children, and this is an environment where there's a war, but there's also a humanitarian crisis. We can't wait for one to end to finally address the other."