Sunni Arab Withdrawal from Al-Maliki Government The USG Open Source Center analyzes the recent withdrawal of the Sunni Arab Iraqi Accord Front from the al-Maliki government. Reactions of major Iraqi political blocs, especially the Shiites, are translated and quoted. “Iraq: Government Plays Down Withdrawal; Tawafuq to Be Parliamentary OppositionIraq — OSC ReportThursday, August 2, 2007 […]
Quote Of Day Major Power Can Afford
Quote of the Day “A major power can afford a military debacle only when it looks like a political victory.” – Friedrich Dürrenmatt
April 12 2007 Destruction Of Sarafiya
April 12, 2007 Destruction of Sarafiya Bridge, Baghdad My American readers often tell me that they have difficulty gauging the scale of death and destruction in Iraq or are numbed by the daily barrage of bombings and the dead and injured. My heart goes out to the people of Minneapolis (I talked at the University […]
142 Dead In Heat Wave Of Violence 5_02
142 Dead in Campaign of Violence 5 Coalition Troops Announced Killed Sunni Arabs Withdraw from Government The Associated Press reported that 142 Iraqis were killed or found dead in Iraq on Wednesday. The US military announced the killings of 4 US troops, and the British lost a soldier in Basra. Ned Parker of the LA […]
Executive Summary Of Conclusion Of
Guest Op-Ed: Polk on Insurgency & American History Executive Summary of the conclusion of Violent Politics: A History of Insurgency, Terrorism & Guerrilla Warfare from the American Revolution to Iraq. By William R. Polk, to be published on September 15, 2007 by HarperCollins. Fighting insurgencies is enormously expensive in both lives and treasure. In Iraq, […]
Yearly Kos Headed Off Thursday To
Yearly Kos Headed off Thursday to Yearly Kos conference in Chicago. Book signing Friday 2 pm – Napoleon’s Egypt. Our panel information is here, Friday afternoon. Alas, Professor Zarinebaf can’t be with us after all. But the panel is strong and among the few foreign affairs events at the conference. For those who cannot come […]
Cole On Kpfk Rafsanjani Misbah Yazdi
Cole on KPFK Rafsanjani/ Misbah-Yazdi Rivalry in Iran For SoCal readers: Will be on the radio with Jon Wiener this afternoon 4:20 pm PST. For the rest, streamed live at kpfk.org, 7:20 pm EST. At our group blog, a translated article on a fateful political rivalry in Iran, the outcome of which could help decide […]
Napoleon Bonaparte On Liberating Middle
Napoleon Bonaparte on Liberating the Middle Easterners At the Napoleon in Egypt blog, more correspondence of Gen. Bonaparte concerning his planned invasion of Egypt, from April-May 1798. Included is his proclamation to the troops (who did not yet know where they were going) about the nature of their mission. See if it sounds familiar: ‘ […]
Deadliest July Yet For Us Troops 23
Deadliest July Yet for US Troops; 23% Rise in Iraqi Deaths in July; Maliki Government Teeters–Sunni, Da’wa Discontent 2007 saw the deadliest July for US troops since the Iraq War began. It also saw a 23% rise in Iraqi deaths over June. July is like a blast furnace in Iraq, with temperatures approaching 120 degrees […]