Juan Cole

Poll: Muqtada Second Most Popular Politician in Iraq Roula Khalaf of the Financial Times reports the results of a poll of 1600 Iraqis from all major ethnic groups. The results confirm that radical young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is holed up in Najaf as his militiamen fight the Americans, has emerged as among the […]

Poll: Muqtada Second Most Popular Politician in Iraq Roula Khalaf of the Financial Times reports the results of a poll of 1600 Iraqis from all major ethnic groups. The results confirm that radical young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is holed up in Najaf as his militiamen fight the Americans, has emerged as among the […]

All Bush Wants to do is Dance It seems clear that the weird Bush policy of doing the most destructive thing possible is likely to continue in Iraq until the Apocalypse. (See below.) In view of today’s news (see below) I now formally propose an anthem for the Bush endeavor in Iraq. The Drudge story […]

All Bush Wants to do is Dance It seems clear that the weird Bush policy of doing the most destructive thing possible is likely to continue in Iraq until the Apocalypse. (See below.) In view of today’s news (see below) I now formally propose an anthem for the Bush endeavor in Iraq. The Drudge story […]

Thousands March against US, UK in Iran Molotov Cocktails thrown at UK Embassy Heavy fighting continued on Wednesday between the Mahdi Army in Karbala, which was firing from the shrine of Imam Husain, and US troops. The US admitted to having used an AC-130 to fire on militiamen near the shrine on Monday. Meanwhile, several […]

Thousands March against US, UK in Iran Molotov Cocktails thrown at UK Embassy Heavy fighting continued on Wednesday between the Mahdi Army in Karbala, which was firing from the shrine of Imam Husain, and US troops. The US admitted to having used an AC-130 to fire on militiamen near the shrine on Monday. Meanwhile, several […]

Apocalypse Now in the White House Rick Perlstein of the Village Voice acquired a damning memo (“you’re not supposed to have that”) demonstrating the hold the looney Christian far Right has on Bush Middle East policy. The gem in the article is the account of how Iran-Contra criminal mastermind and current National Security Adviser Elliot […]

Apocalypse Now in the White House Rick Perlstein of the Village Voice acquired a damning memo (“you’re not supposed to have that”) demonstrating the hold the looney Christian far Right has on Bush Middle East policy. The gem in the article is the account of how Iran-Contra criminal mastermind and current National Security Adviser Elliot […]

Sistani vs. Muqtada vs. US in Najaf Daniel Williams, Scott Wilson and Saad Sarhan of the Washington Post report on the new test of wills between the young sectarian leader Muqtada al-Sadr “Sadr had invited all Iraqis to come to the southern city and support his uprising, which U.S. troops are struggling to contain. The […]