Juan Cole

Looting There, Looting Here Fallujah There, New Orleans Here In April of 2003 the US military stood by and allowed Baghdad to be looted. Not only were private establishments emptied, but all the major ministries (except the Ministry of Petroleum) were looted and burned. When Iraqis complained to the new occupation authority, the GI’s informed […]

26 Dead in Iraq Guerrilla Violence The LA Times reports that guerrillas launched major attacks in Baqubah and Samarra on Saturday. The US military campaign in the northern Turkmen city of Tel Afar was also continuing, and meeting less direct resistance than expected. (Only unexpected if we were expecting the guerrillas to act like an […]

Mahmood Othman: Turkey Interfering in Iraq Gilbert Achcar kindly shares his translation of this article in al-Hayat: OTHMAN TO AL-HAYAT: TURKEY FEARS THE SPREAD OF DEMOCRACY Baghdad – Heba Hani, Al-Hayat, September 3, 2005 Kurdish leader Mahmood Othman [Mahmoud Osman] condemned recent statements by the Turkish Foreign Ministry about the non-recognition of the province of […]

Fayyad Calls for Yes Vote on Constitution Muqtada Praises Resistance Al-Hayat: Shiite on Shiite disputes sharpened in the Friday prayers sermons this week. Grand Ayatollah Ishaq Fayyad, a junior colleague of Ali Sistani, called for Iraqis to vote “yes” on the constitution, since it was the best that could be hoped for under the circumstances. […]

The Iraqi constitution’s downside for women Reprint. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) The Iraqi constitution’s downside for women By JUAN COLE Thursday, September 1, 2005, Page A21 One of George W. Bush’s justifications for his Iraq project has been the Greater Middle East Initiative, a long-term plan to bring democracy to the Arab world. So: […]

Sistani Calls on Government to fulfill its Duties Najaf Furious about Bridge Stampede, calls for Investigation Al-Hayat: Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani on Thursday called on the Iraqi government to “fulfill its legal responsibilities” with regard to the tragic stampede at the al-A’imah Bridge, which led to the deaths of 965 persons. In a statement issued […]

Message from a New Orleans Refugee Message from a New Orleans refugee: ‘ I am emailing everyone I can to say this (it is 9:53 a.m., Thursday, September 1, three days after the storm): Please contact any gov’t. officials you know, and pressure them to get more troops and resources here. People are still dying. […]

Liberal Blogosphere for Hurricane Relief Kari Chisholm and Chris Bowers write ‘Hurricane Katrina has devastated thousands of lives. Today, we’re announcing a coordinated effort by the liberal/progressive blogosphere to help the victims of the devastation. Together, we’re going to raise $1 million for the American Red Cross – and prove that the liberal blogosphere can […]

Stampede Catastrophe Brings Dissension, Unity Bush’s polling numbers drop A Sadrist cabinet member responded to the horrific crushing of over 1000 persons in a crowd of worshippers on its way to the Shiite shrine in Kadhimiyah by calling for the resignation of the Minister of the Interior and the Defense Minister. Interior is controlled by […]