Juan Cole

Sistani Supports Conference for National Reconciliation Al-Hakim, Sadr Opposed Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has thrown his weight behind the Arab League initiative for a national reconciliation conference in Iraq. Sistani has all along behind the scenes attempted to reach out to the Sunnis. He managed to convince a few to run on the United Iraqi […]

The Great Iran Crock, Blair and AEI Mahan Abedin demolishes the Blair government’s case for Iran giving bombs to Iran’s enemies in Iraq. By the way, this thing about the Lebanese Hezbollah really is just disinformation and lies. There are two organizations in southern Iraq called Hizbullah. One is a component of the Supreme Council […]

Four GIs Killed Khamenei Praises Iraq Constitution Guerrilla violence killed 4 US GIs on Friday, three west of Baghdad and one at Heet (Hit). Iran’s Supreme Jurisprudent, Ali Khamenei, on Friday praised Iraq’s constitution as “blessed,” praised the constitutional referendum, and looked forward to Iraqis going to the polls again on December 15. The Iranians […]

US Military Desecrates bodies of Afghans to Uproar Or, what in the World do they Think they are doing there? The burning and desecration of Taliban bodies as a technique of intimidation in Afghanistan by US troops has backfired big time. Afghanistan clergymen are hopping mad at the US, and opposition to continued US troop […]

Iran Rejects Rice Overture Arab League Mission in Iraq How mean do you have to be to fire mortar shells at a school and kill a child? A car bombing killed four Iraqis and wounded 14; there may have been American casualties. A lawyer defending a relative of Saddam was kidnapped. This is further evidence […]

Ninevah and the Constitutional Referendum A kind reader in Iraq writes: ‘ I was in Iraq during the recent elections . . . It is possible – probable – that the Kurdish authorities stuffed ballot boxes. The irony is that if they did this, it was probably unnecessary. The demographics of Ninevah governorate would make […]

29 Dead Questions about Referendum Fraud Guerrilla violence killed 29 in Iraq on Wednesday. Attacks included guerrillas raining mortar fire on civilian homes in Samarra, and guerrillas in Iskandariyah going into a factory, separating out 6 Shiite workers, and executing them. 4 US GIs and a British soldier were among those killed. Three of the […]

Italian Parliamentary Report Justin Raimondo has developed a source in Washington who has named for him three US citizens who were involved in cooking up the forged documents that alleged recent Iraqi purchases of Niger yellowcake uranium. (In fact, the Iraqis had never had the capacity to do anything serious with yellowcake.) The mystery is […]

Cheney, Resignation and Frege US News and World Report says that rumors are flying in Washington that Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney may resign because he was closely involved in the discussions with his chief of staff Irving Lewis Libby and with Bush adviser Karl Rove on the decision to out covert CIA operative Valerie […]