Juan Cole

Sistani, the UIA and the Elections Anthony Shadid on Sunday in WaPo captured the edgy reality of life on the ground in Iraq in the build-up to the elections, and the anxieties of the Sunni Arabs before the advance of the Shiite political tsunami. The death toll in Sunday’s guerrilla attacks rose to 44, with […]

Guest Editorial: Sunni Anxieties and the Rise of Shiite Power by Shahin M. Cole Sunni Anxieties and the Rise of Shiite Power Shahin M. Cole Iraq after its elections is not out of the woods, and some severe dangers loom ahead. Iraq has had the form of elections, but will it have the substance of […]

A Mixed Story I’m just appalled by the cheerleading tone of US news coverage of the so-called elections in Iraq on Sunday. I said on television last week that this event is a “political earthquake” and “a historical first step” for Iraq. It is an event of the utmost importance, for Iraq, the Middle East, […]

Election Update At a little after noon EST, Jane Arraf on CNN is reporting about 30 percent turnout in Baqubah, a mixed Sunni-Shiite city to the northeast of Baghdad. It seems clear that the turnout was largely Shiite. Although the violence and attacks have been extensive and took place all over the country, the security […]

Dozens Killed in Election Day Guerrilla Campaign Guerrillas launched mortar and suicide bomb attacks at polling stations throughout Iraq on Sunday as thousands of Iraqis headed to the polls. As many as 27 were dead by 1 pm Iraqi time, with several times that wounded. Explosions rocked West, South and East Baghdad, as well as […]

Zogby: 9% of Sunnis Will Vote Stong Majority of Iraqis Wants US Out Borzou Daragahi of AP reports an Iraqi poll that shows that the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance coalition will do best in Sunday’s election, but won’t get a majority. The Iraqiya list of interim PM Iyad Allawi comes in second. The united Kurdish […]

15 Iraqis Killed in Attacks Focusing on Polling Places Ash-Sharq al-Awsat reports that guerrillas killed 15 Iraqis on Thursday and blew up six polling sites, continuing their campaign to prevent successfull elections on Sunday. One such attack involved a clash with the new Iraqi army, and when the smoke cleared 11 Iraqis and one US […]

Feith Resigns Under Pressure of Investigations Douglas Feith, the number three man at the Pentagon who went there from the pro-Likud Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) and the Project for a New American Century, will leave the Pentagon as of this summer. Feith’s office is the subject of an FBI investigation as well […]

37 US Troops Dead, Other Americans Wounded Large numbers of Iraqis Killed, Wounded by Car Bombs at Polling Stations, Party HQs AP reports the worst news the US has had in Iraq ever: A U.S. helicopter crashed in a desert sandstorm in the early morning darkness yesterday, killing the 30 Marines and one Navy sailor […]