Juan Cole

Comment Section Rules The comment section of Informed Comment is intended to allow readers to weigh in on the issues raised in the postings. The ideal comment would be meaty, with some analysis or information that contributes to the topic, and would be one or two paragraphs in length. Short messages of a sociable nature […]

Comments at Informed Comment Readers have occasionally asked for a comment feature at this web site. I of course love the idea, but did not move in that direction for a number of reasons. At first, of course, blogger.com software did not allow it. Then when they did, there was no moderating function and there […]

Future of the Book The Institute for the Future of the Book is having a gathering soon to which I am invited, as an academic blogger. They thought it would be useful to poll my readers about some issues. The brief poll is at a comments page at their web site. I’d be most grateful […]

Dennis O’Flaherty Reader Comment on Qaim Campaign Cole: [Al-Zaman: Sunni Arab leaders accused the US of conducting a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing in their sweep of the Western cities. (This allegation is, needless to say, not correct.] Dennis O’Flaherty writes: ‘… you raise a point that has troubled me — and I hope […]

Blair Could have Delayed Beginning of War: Meyer; Sadrists Will Boycott Cairo Conference Sir Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador in Washington, blames Prime Minister Tony Blair for not slowing the Bush administration’s rush to war in 2003. Meyer implies that he could see that the Bush team was poorly prepared for the aftermath, and says […]

Bush and the 7 Deadly Sins The Washington Post reports a new poll that shows that the public’s approval of Bush in the realms of trust, honesty and values has declined even in his base: “Bush’s approval ratings have been in decline for months, but on issues of personal trust, honesty and values, Bush has […]

Sunni Constitution Drafter Killed; Chalabi in Iran Fakhri al-Qaisi of the National Dialogue Council was assassinated in Baghdad on Saturday. The Sunni politician had helped draft the new Iraqi constitution and was running for parliament. His group is part of a Sunni religious coalition that is running in the December 15 elections, a move opposed […]

Al-Libi Tagged as Liar by US Intelligence Bush Alleged Saddam-al-Qaeda Tie Douglas Jehl of the NYT reports that the Defense Intelligence Agency and other intelligence professionals strongly suspected that Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi was lying when he alleged, after his capture in Pakistan in 2001, that Iraq was training al-Qaeda in use of chemical weapons for […]

Sunni Cleric Calls for Participation in Elections NATO Rules out Iraq Role Al-Sharq al-Awsat/ AFP: The Sunni religious leader in the Association of Muslim Scholars, Shaikh Mahmud Mahdi al-Sumaidaie has called on Sunni Arabs to vote in the December 15 elections. The preacher at the Umm al-Qura Mosque in Baghdad said, “I call on you […]