McClatchy reports from Baghdad that Iraqi eyewitnesses maintain that Blackwater security guards fired at civilians without provocation on Sunday, in contrast to the company’s own story about the incident. Probably they were firing at a car that neglected to stop when told to, or neglected to stop fast enough. Since such vehicles might be driven […]
Jihadis Threaten to Kill Leaders of al-Anbar Council
The USG Open Source Center summarizes and partially translates a threat by the ‘Islamic State of Iraq’ [Salafi Jihadis] to kill more members of the al-Anbar Salvation Council, tribal sheikhs who are cooperating with the Americans. The organization claims to have killed the ASC leader, Sattar Abu Rishah, last week. Statement Says Islamic State of […]
Marshall/ Cole interview on Iraq
I am interviewed on al-Anbar province at Veracifier by Josh Marshall of TalkingPointsMemo.
Sadrists Demand US Withdrawal UIA asks Sadrists to Rejoin Will Blackwater be Expelled?
Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the Shiite fundamentalist ruling bloc in the Iraqi parliament, the United Iraqi Alliance, has called on the Sadr Movement to reconsider its decision to withdraw from the UIA, given the latter’s willingness to discuss all outstanding issues. The statement said it was important for all political forces inside the political […]
Postponement of Kirkuk Referendum?
The USG Open Source Center reports on the possible postponement of the referendum on the future of oil-rich Kirkuk province, which the Kurds want to annex to Kurdistan. Iraq: Kurdish Leaders Raise Possibility of Delay on Kirkuk ReferendumIraq — OSC ReportMonday, September 17, In the wake of the Kurdistan Parliament vote on 13 June reaffirming […]
Right-Zionists try to Silence Walt at the University of Montana
Richard Drake, chair of the History Department at the University of Montana, describes what it is like to invite Stephen Walt, a respected political scientist at Harvard University and author of a best-selling book on the Israel lobby, to lecture on campus. The techniques of smearing and pressure politics deployed against his appearance can only […]
Greenspan: War about Oil; Bloody Sunday in Iraq
Alan Greenspan confirms that he urged the Bush administration to take out Saddam on grounds of petroleum security for the US, and says one official told him, ‘unfortunately we can’t talk about oil.’ Long-time readers know that I think restructuring the architecture of US energy security was among the major motives for the Iraq War. […]
Sadrists withdraw from Government; Say they Will not Bring Down al-Maliki; Iraqi Military called Unprepared
The unstable al-Maliki government is on its last legs. The Sadr Movement (32 seats) has now formally withdrawn from the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite fundamentalist bloc that is the largest in parliament (though no longer by much). The Sadrists had withdrawn from al-Maliki’s cabinet a few months ago, but had said they would still […]
Rep. Doggett: Congress must Respond to the Propaganda Surge
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) on Iraq: Plus: International Atomic Energy head Mohammad Elbaradei walked out of a meeting where he felt a Portuguese diplomat’s speech was insufficiently supportive of his call for new inspections in Iran. On the other hand, Elbaradei has been critical of the US for pushing confrontation with Tehran. Despite Elbaradei’s findings […]
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