Juan Cole

Reader Comment on Torture Interrogations Michael Pollak writes: Dear Juan, On Sunday you wrote: “First, torture does not work, and there is no evidence that it worked at Abu Ghuraib.” I quite agree, and it’s occurred to me that, on the face of it, Abu Ghuraib might in fact be a classic example of torture […]

Reader Comment on Torture Interrogations Michael Pollak writes: Dear Juan, On Sunday you wrote: “First, torture does not work, and there is no evidence that it worked at Abu Ghuraib.” I quite agree, and it’s occurred to me that, on the face of it, Abu Ghuraib might in fact be a classic example of torture […]

Sistani Calls for Iraq-Wide Protests The BBC reports that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has again called for all military forces to be withdrawn from Najaf and Karbala, the two holiest cities for Shiites. His statement seems calculated to put pressure on both sides. He wants the US to stop being so aggressive. And he wants […]

Sistani Calls for Iraq-Wide Protests The BBC reports that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has again called for all military forces to be withdrawn from Najaf and Karbala, the two holiest cities for Shiites. His statement seems calculated to put pressure on both sides. He wants the US to stop being so aggressive. And he wants […]

50 Sadrists Killed by Americans in Karbala and Nasiriyah Sistani’s House Sprayed by Machine Gun Fire An aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani reports that his house in Najaf was sprayed with machine gun fire (-al-Hayat). (If Sistani gets killed in the current fighting in Najaf between the US and the Mahdi Army, there will […]

50 Sadrists Killed by Americans in Karbala and Nasiriyah Sistani’s House Sprayed by Machine Gun Fire An aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani reports that his house in Najaf was sprayed with machine gun fire (-al-Hayat). (If Sistani gets killed in the current fighting in Najaf between the US and the Mahdi Army, there will […]

Powell Admission Begs Question By now most persons with a television and an interest in US affairs will have seen the bizarre scene in which Deputy Press Secretary Emily Miller, an aide to Colin Powell, attempted to pull him off camera and stop him from answering a question put by Tim Russert of Meet the […]

Powell Admission Begs Question By now most persons with a television and an interest in US affairs will have seen the bizarre scene in which Deputy Press Secretary Emily Miller, an aide to Colin Powell, attempted to pull him off camera and stop him from answering a question put by Tim Russert of Meet the […]

Moving to a More Secure Camp Daniel Williams of the Washington Post wonders if Iraq can be salvaged. The article is one of the more clear-eyed I have seen: Some quotes: ‘ “We could not imagine the deterioration leading to such a point. It’s getting worse day after day, and no one has been able […]