Juan Cole

Brahimi under Fire The Bush Administration is putting a great deal of faith in UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi’s ability to establish a caretaker government by June 30. But the idea of the UN, represented by a Sunni Arab, and Paul Bremer appointing the Iraqi government is being attacked by the current appointees, the Interim Governing […]

Israeli Connection with Abu Ghuraib Torture? Many readers have written to suggest that there is an Israeli connection of some sort to the Abu Ghuraib prison scandal, because the techniques used seem so similar to what Palestinians report. One noted that Joe Ryan, the Abu Ghuraib blogger, had some training with Israeli specialists on such […]

Muqtada Negotiates with Head of Secret Police az-Zaman reports that a new round of negotiations has begun with Muqtada al-Sadr, this time conducted directly by Maj. General Muhammad al-Shahwani, the new head of the Iraqi secret police (Mukhabarat). This news rather amazes me and seems a sign of desperation on both sides. Ali Allawi, the […]

Sunni-Shiite Unity at Abu Ghuraib demonstration The demonstration at Abu Ghuraib against the abuse of prisoners that I mentioned yesterday turns out to have been called for by the Board of Muslim Scholars, a Sunni clerical organization that is more powerful than usually recognized. The demonstration was said to have been several thousand strong, and […]

America in the Balance: Sex, Lies and Prison Abuse Guest Editorial Shahin Cole Most Muslims admire American democracy but disapprove of what they perceive as US moral laxity, according to polls. The revelations about the American treatment of Iraqi prisoners may damage faith in democracy, and reinforce disgust with immodest behavior. The photos of prisoner […]

Is it Torture? What does “is” mean? Demonstrators at Abu Ghuraib Demand Apology As Mark Rothschild pointed out, “ When asked by a reporter whether torture has taken place in Iraq, Rumsfeld said, “My impression is that what has been charged thus far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture.” He added […]

Mahdi Army Kills 3 US Troops in Diwaniyah Clashes in Karbala, Najaf Will Abu Ghuraib affect the Muqtada al-Sadr Issue? Mopping up operations continue by the US military against the Mahdi Army, according to Reuters. On Wednesday, US troops assaulted two buildings in Diwaniyah that had been used by Mahdi Army fighters to attack US […]

Taguba Report Online; Bush tries Damage Control on Arab Satellite TV The Taguba report on Abu Ghuraib prison abuse is now online at MSNBC, or at least an executive summary of it. On Wednesday, this story finally broke in the United States in a big way. On Tuesday night Koppel had Rami Khoury on, a […]

Standoff with Muqtada continues The Army of the Mahdi fought a gun battle with US troops at Karbala on Tuesday. ‘ Fighting erupted shortly after midnight when Mehdi Army militiamen loyal to rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr fired mortar bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns at U.S. and Bulgarian positions in the town 70 miles southwest of […]