That the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps coast guard would play chicken with the US Navy is not that surprising. Enemies at sea often taunt one another, and I think there were similar feints by Soviet subs in the old days. (A kind reader pointed out that it even happened more recently with China.) What is […]
Archives for January 2008
NYT on Napoleon’s Egypt
A review by Tom Reiss of my book, Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East has appeared in The New York Times.
Blogging AHA
Claire Potter blogged one of my panels at the American Historical Association meeting. (Scroll down). HNN also covered the session (scroll down) and even gives video of myself, Bruce Cumings and Marilyn Young.
11 Killed at Army Day Celebration; 2 US Troops Killed Christians Targetted in Mosul
George McGovern is calling for Bush and Cheney to be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, including ordering hundreds of warrantless wiretaps on US citizens. Good for him. Even if a plan is impractical, if it is just it should be broached. Guerrillas detonated four deadly bombs in Baghdad on Sunday. One guerrilla struck soldiers […]
Bombings Roil Diyala; Driving ban Imposed; US Soldier Killed
Radio Sawa reports in Arabic that Iraqi members of parliament dismiss the pledge of US presidential candidate Barack Obama to end the Iraq War and withdraw US troops from the country. They say it is just campaign talk and that if Obama were elected he would swiftly become more realistic. (It is my firm impression […]
3 US troops Killed; Dulaimi May be Charged; Najaf Raid
Iraqi parliamentarians are attempting to strip Adnan Dulaimi of his parliamentary immunity. They charge that he is complicit with terrorists. Dulaimi leads the 44-member [Sunni Arab] Iraqi Accord Front in parliament. US forces found weapons and bombs in a house next to his. These developments came as a blow to hopes for reconciliation between Sunnis […]
Iraq, the Youth Vote, Women and Iowa
The conventional wisdom among the inside the beltway pundits is that Iraq is no longer a leading issue for American voters. This conventional wisdom is demonstrably untrue. First, some December polls (scroll down) show that it was the most important issue for 25% of likely voters, with other issues trailing substantially. In part it derives […]
Iraq in Iowa; Bomber Kills 10 in Diyala; Petraeus: US Cannot Organize Return of Refugees
Update: Zogby et al. is showing a last minute boost among voters for Obama and Huckabee in Iowa. But obviously many Iowans are undecided and the race is extremely volatile. Activists campaigning down to the wire in Iowa are invoking stances on the Iraq War. Joshua Holland argues that among the three leading Democratic candidates […]
Reading for Thursday
The Justice Department is going to investigate the destruction of videotapes of the interrogation of prisoners in US custody that showed torture. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi keeps asking what Bush has done that is impeachable. Shredding the constitution should count, and if that doesn’t then this should. Tom Engelhardt on how Bush took […]