Juan Cole

Visser on Shiite Separatism in Iraq Reidar Visser’s “Shi‘i Separatism in Iraq: Internet Reverie or Real Constitutional Challenge?” [pdf] is now available online. It is a very serious piece of research and lays out the details of an important but little-examined political movement in the south.

Sistani Opposes Ceding Kirkuk to Kurdistan Sadrists Demonstrate against Federalism Al-Zaman: On Friday, a major split became apparent among the Shiite clerics of Iraq on the issue of a federated state. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani himself maintained a studied silence on the issue. He is reported initially to have opposed the establishment of further confederacies […]

Guest Editorial: Amendment and Empire Andrew Arato Amendment and Empire ‘ Constitutional amendment rules are beautiful things. They signify the sovereign right of a political community and its legitimate representatives to fashion and revise their political rules and institutions. Both Jefferson and Madison, though at odds concerning the nature and frequency of desirable constitutional amendments, […]

Bush Administration and ‘Democracratic Process’ In Iraq: The Dark Details Revealed An informed reader writes: ‘ From the now-unclassified State Department Report to Congress – 15 December 2003: “On November 15, the CPA and the Governing Council (GC) agreed to and announced a plan to expedite the process of transferring authority to the Iraqi people. […]

Health Care for our Troops Byron Williams reports: ‘ WITH the percentage of American troops in Iraq who are National Guard or Reserve forces estimated at 40 percent, one in five National Guard members have no health care. The U.S. Government Accountability Office further estimates that this number rises to 40 percent when accounting for […]

More on Amiriya Demonstration An informed reader writes: ‘ You had a brief mention today: “Al-Sharq al-Awsat: Hundreds of residents of Amiriyah, a district of Baghdad, demonstrated Thursday in protest against the recent killing of three men there in a joint US-Iraqi military sweep.” Reuters also ran the story . . . I recently wrote […]

4 US Troops Killed Shiites demand Islamic Law Al-Hayat: At least four US troops were killed in Iraq near Samarra on Thursday, and at least 8 Iraqis. US casualties from a car bomb in Baghdad were reported by eyewitnesses but not yet confirmed by the US military. Guerrillas assassinated a judge in Baghdad. Two bodies […]

Fear Stalks Iraq as “Truce” Ends US Diplomat in Baghdad Implicated in Israel Spy Scandal Al-Hayat: The one-day total for deaths related to the guerrilla war in Wednesday ended up being about 55, with dozens injured (probably over a hundred). Iraqis perceived the massive bombings as the end of a “truce” of the past few […]

43 Dead in Wednesday Bombings Constitution Wrangling continues Guerrillas detonated three car bombs in central Baghdad Wednesday morning, killing at least 43 and wounding 73. In a separate incident, an American soldier was killed on Tuesday evening. Al-Hayat says that Shiites, Kurds and Sunni Arabs are pointing the finger of blame at one another over […]