Archives for 2005

Ninevah and the Constitutional Referendum A kind reader in Iraq writes: ‘ I was in Iraq during the recent elections . . . It is possible – probable – that the Kurdish authorities stuffed ballot boxes. The irony is that if they did this, it was probably unnecessary. The demographics of Ninevah governorate would make […]

29 Dead Questions about Referendum Fraud Guerrilla violence killed 29 in Iraq on Wednesday. Attacks included guerrillas raining mortar fire on civilian homes in Samarra, and guerrillas in Iskandariyah going into a factory, separating out 6 Shiite workers, and executing them. 4 US GIs and a British soldier were among those killed. Three of the […]

Italian Parliamentary Report Justin Raimondo has developed a source in Washington who has named for him three US citizens who were involved in cooking up the forged documents that alleged recent Iraqi purchases of Niger yellowcake uranium. (In fact, the Iraqis had never had the capacity to do anything serious with yellowcake.) The mystery is […]

Cheney, Resignation and Frege US News and World Report says that rumors are flying in Washington that Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney may resign because he was closely involved in the discussions with his chief of staff Irving Lewis Libby and with Bush adviser Karl Rove on the decision to out covert CIA operative Valerie […]

US Soldier Killed Constitution vote count Delayed Early Wednesday a roadside bomb had already taken the life of one GI and wounded several others. Final results from the Iraqi constitution will be delayed until at least Friday, after questions were raised about the provinces’ tallies. “A dramatic increase in security spending in Iraq and a […]

Voting Tallies Provoke Investigation As US Jets Kill 70 The US military launched air strikes around Ramadi on Monday, killing 70 persons. Iraqi police maintained that 20 of them were innocent civilians, including some children. The US military said it had received no such reports. Five US GIs were killed at Ramadi this weekend, and […]

Engelhardt Interview of Cole Tom Engelhardt’s interview of me is at Tomdispatch.com. Part two will be up Tuesday.

Peace in Iraq Still Elusive after Constitutional Referendum Al-Hayat reports that 643,000 votes were cast in Ninevah Province (capital: Mosul). At the time it filed, 419,000 had been preliminarily counted, and the vote was running 75 percent in favor. Ninevah Province was the most likely place that Sunni Arabs opposing the constitution might be able […]

Achchar Guest Editorial: On the Sunni Vote in the October 15 Constitutional Referendum Gilbert Achcar writes: ‘ The major difference between the October 15 vote and the January 30 election as is now confirmed has been the—uneven but nevertheless important—Sunni participation. It is interesting to have a close look at this development. A summary of […]