Juan Cole

Massive Protest in Bahrain Reuters is estimating that 80,000 demonstrators came out in Bahrain on Friday to demand a new constitution. The demonstration, which was peaceful, had been forbidden by Minister of Interior Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, but he was ignored. He is now talking about trying to prosecute the leaders of the […]

23 Dead in 4 Car Bombings, Other Violence The guerrilla war in Iraq marched on, on Friday, with four big carbombs and other attacks that left a total of some 23 persons dead, including at least one US soldier in Anbar province. (This conclusion is reached on the basis of the report linked here as […]

News roundup The American Israel Public Affairs Committee spy case is heating up again. The FBI clearly believes that AIPAC is at the center of an important political conspiracy, but may not be able to make the whole case in the legal system. Whatever the outcome of the case, AIPAC should have to register as […]

No Government any Time Soon in Iraq The formation of a government in Iraq has been put off yet again, possibly until April 1 or beyond, according to AFP. The Shiites and the Kurds say they are close to agreement. But they could remain only close to an agreement for a long time. Parliament may […]

Sunni Arabs Struggle with New Realities Ash-Sharq al-Awsat reports that Sunni Arabs are unhappy with the small number of ministries being offered them in the new government. They want at least 6, with at least one being a major executive post (e.g. Defense, Interior, etc.) Adnan Pachachi reveals that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani attempted to […]

Major Battle North of Samarra Leaves Dozens Dead Or Does It? Al-Zaman: Rockets fell on schools in Amiriyah district, West Baghdad, Wednesday, killing 4 students. Gunmen wounded the director of the Imam Hasan B. Ali School and killed a teacher. Al-Zaman says the school is under the Sunni Pious Endowments Board, but the name of […]

30 Killed on Tuesday, Including US Soldier Early on Monday, Iraqi troops supported by US forces fought a firefight in northern Baghdad, killing several guerrillas, according to US military sources as reported by the LBC satellite channel. UPI reports that at least 30 persons died in violent incidents in Iraq on Tuesday. The biggest such […]

Government to be Formed by Sunday? Iraqi official sources maintained on Tuesday that negotiations between the United Iraqi Alliance and the Kurdish Alliance to form a government are well advanced, and that the ministries have been apportioned among the two. Iraq nowadays is like the United States was in the early 19th century, during the […]

Wolfowitz Romancing Tunisian World Bank Employee? I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this gossipy story that Paul Wolfowitz is romantically involved with Shaha Ali Riza, a Tunisian woman brought up in Saudi Arabia formerly married to Bulent Riza, a Turk. I don’t think the private lives of people are relevant to their public service […]