Juan Cole

Talabani President The Iraqi National Assembly is set to announce the formation of a presidential council on Wednesday, selecting Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as president, Adil Abdul Mahdi as a vice president, and Ghazi al-Yawar as the other vice president. Abdul Mahdi is a member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq who […]

Huhn? The Real Iraq The unfortunate tendency in the United States to evaluate all statements about Iraq with regard to whether they are “optimistic” (i.e. pro-Bush) or “pessimistic” (i.e. anti-Bush) makes it difficult for those who just want to understand what is going on. I get slammed by the Jeff Jarvis’s for reporting bad news […]

Another Bombing at Abu Ghraib Sunni Meeting Collapses in Acrimony Guerrillas mounted another bombing attack on Abu Ghuraib prison (this one involving a tractor), leaving 5 Iraqi civilians wounded. On Sunday, a combination of car bombings and mortar attacks wounded dozens of Americans and Iraqis. The NYT reveals that a rumor is going around that […]

Wesley Clark Conference Call Wesley Clark held a conference call on the situation in Iraq with some bloggers Monday afternoon, in advance of testifying in Washington on the situation. He began by pointing out that the US military made an assessment in September of 2002 that it could hold Iraq with 70,000 troops. [I had […]

Speaker of Parliament Elected amid Rancor Two more US servicemen were killed by guerrilla attacks over the weekend, and the Green Zone took mortar fire near the Iraqi parliament again, during a recess, on Sunday. This news comes a day after a car bomb and mortar attack on Abu Ghraib prison, left 44 US troops […]

The Other Pope John Paul II was a complex man and among the more intellectual popes in history. Because of his admirable stance against Stalinism in Eastern Europe (which did not in fact involve any denunciation of communism or socialism per se) and his anti-abortion stance, he is often claimed as an ally by the […]

44 US Troops Injured in Abu Ghraib Attack, Some Seriously 12 Iraqis Wounded 6 Iraqis killed in Separate Incidents An organized platoon of some 40 guerrillas launched mortar attacks on Abu Ghrain prison on Saturday, wounding 44 US troops, some seriously, and 12 Iraqis. The US holds 10,500 Iraqis prisoner, suspecting them of being active […]

Sistani Fatwa on Security Al-Hayat: Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani gave a fatwa Friday saying that cooperation with the forces charged with safeguarding security in Iraq is “obligatory” on all Iraqis, “as long as the principles of Islamic law are observed.” Sistani was replying to a letter sent him, which asked if it was required to […]

A Tragic Death and other Tragic Deaths I address a different aspect of this story in my opinion piece at Salon.com, “In gods we trust,” today. Bush’s bizarre press conference on Thursday was according to the Washington Post “on Terri Schiavo anhd Weapons of Mass Destruction.” That US newspapers report this bewildering juxtaposition without so […]