Juan Cole

Iraq Anarchy Grows Constitution Deal May attract IIP Veteran British reporter Robert Fisk, according to the Independent, finds much of Iraq to have significantly deteriorated since his last visit and to be in a “state of anarchy” and found it bizarre for the Western press to focus on procedural matters like the referendum on the […]

46 Killed in Guerrilla Attacks Compromise on Constitution accepted by IIP 46 persons were killed by guerrilla bombings and attacks on Tuesday and dozens wounded. A big bombing at Tal Afar killed 30 and another 10 were killed in Baghdad. The Shiites and Kurds have agreed that the newly elected parliament after December 15 will […]

Achcar Guest Editorial: Gulliver in Iraq Gilbert Achcar writes ‘1) Gulliver in Iraq—-for how long? US Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, best epitomizes the actual status of the US occupation of Iraq, which looks more and more indeed, in its relation to Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis, like Gulliver among Lilliputians and Blefuscudans (Google shows that […]

18 Killed Arab League Convoy Attacked Last Minute Negotiations on Constitution Guerrilla violence killed 18 persons in Iraq on Monday, including one US GI. Protesters in Ramadi said they had not yet seen the offical text of the constitution and think the government is conspiring to keep it from them, according to the Washington Post. […]

30,000 Dead in Pakistan 2.5 Million Homeless The Pakistani government is now estimating 30,000 dead in the earthquake, and incidents of civil violence are being reported by AP. CNN is suggesting that 2.5 million are homeless, and perhaps as many as 5 million. The magnitude of the disaster is only gradually becoming apparent. It will […]

Guest Editorial by Gilbert Achcar: The US and Shiite Politics in Iraq Gilbert Achcar writes: 1) How US and British Forces help Iraqis recover their sovereignty For any person believing in good faith that occupation troops in Iraq are helping the Iraqis build independent institutions in order to recover their sovereignty, recent events in Basra—the […]

Basra Bombing Targets Badr Jaafari Rejects Conference of National Reconsiliation Someone detonated a car bomb in Basra outside an office of the Badr Corps, the paramilitary of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. One child was killed and six were wounded in the explosion. It was not clear who was behind the blast, […]

At Least 18,000 Dead in Major Earthquake The death toll in Saturday’s massive earthquake keeps climbing, and will probably be higher yet by Sunday afternoon. Some 17,000 are feared dead in Kashmir, mainly on the Pakistani side of the line of control (Kashmir is mostly with India but a portion of it is under Pakistani […]

2 US Troops Killed Sistani Sits this one Out Basra Governor: British troops Destabilizing the South Two more US troops were killed in Iraq on Saturday. So was a city council member for Hawija. There has been a largely unnoticed but serious attrition rate among Iraqi provincial and municipal officials, as the guerrillas target them. […]