Juan Cole

Shrine of Ali Damaged; Uprisings in some southern Cities Heavy fighting continued Friday between US troops and the Mahdi army in downtown Najaf and Karbala. The dome of the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf was disfigured by four bullet holes, news that inflamed passions against US troops. US helicopter gunships blasted ares inside the […]

More on Berg Murder Matthew B. Stannard of the San Fransisco Chronicle has a thoughtful piece on the Berg murder. He quotes me on two points, the first having to do with the point of the murder: ‘ One motive, said Juan Cole, a professor of Middle East history at the University of Michigan, is […]

More on Berg Murder Matthew B. Stannard of the San Fransisco Chronicle has a thoughtful piece on the Berg murder. He quotes me on two points, the first having to do with the point of the murder: ‘ One motive, said Juan Cole, a professor of Middle East history at the University of Michigan, is […]

6 US Soldiers Wounded, 22 Iraqis Killed in Holy City Fighting More fighting in Karbala and Najaf over Thursday night to Friday morning, according to Reuters: ” At least four Iraqis were killed and 13 wounded in overnight fighting in Kerbala, Saleh Hasnawi, director of the main hospital, told Reuters. Fighting died down after dawn. […]

6 US Soldiers Wounded, 22 Iraqis Killed in Holy City Fighting More fighting in Karbala and Najaf over Thursday night to Friday morning, according to Reuters: ” At least four Iraqis were killed and 13 wounded in overnight fighting in Kerbala, Saleh Hasnawi, director of the main hospital, told Reuters. Fighting died down after dawn. […]

Kurdish Dimension of Muqtada al-Sadr Crisis It seems clear that Iraqi Shiite leaders such as Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and Muhammad Bahr al-Ulum at the very least greenlighted the US attack on Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia. As the country prepares for elections this coming winter, these Shiite leaders who do not have nearly Muqtada’s following […]

Kurdish Dimension of Muqtada al-Sadr Crisis It seems clear that Iraqi Shiite leaders such as Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and Muhammad Bahr al-Ulum at the very least greenlighted the US attack on Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia. As the country prepares for elections this coming winter, these Shiite leaders who do not have nearly Muqtada’s following […]

Partition of Iraq Would be Wrong: Dawisha Adeed Dawisha an Iraqi political scientist, explains why talk of partitioning Iraq is wrong. ” . . . nothing that has happened on the ground imposes[partition]. There has been no bloodshed among and between Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis. Indeed, in a brief moment in April, Shiite cleric Moqtada […]

Caretaker Government may Contain the Expatriate Politicians Alissa Rubin of the LA Times reports that the original Brahimi plan has had to be abandoned, a victim of the prisoner torture scandal. Washington and Brahimi had wanted to appoint a caretaker government of faceless bureaucrats. The heads of Iraqi parties with some grass roots and popularity, […]