Juan Cole

Did Israel Try to Take out a US Ambassador? There is strong evidence in recently released diplomatic papers that Israel’s secret police, Mossad, attempted to assassinate the US ambassador to Lebanon, John Gunther Dean, in 1979, but failed–this according to Ambassador Andrew Killgore. Killgore writes The Dean paper–which include documents, messages, reports and telegrams–constitute hard […]

Negotiations Collapse amid Fierce Fighting in Karbala US forces, having collapsed half of the historic al-Mukhayyam Mosque and set 7 hotels on fire in its environs in Karbala, are continuing to fight Mahdi Army militiamen in the area around the shrine of Imam Husain. Az-Zaman reports that fighting is also heavy in the eastern, al-Abbasiyah […]

Negotiations Collapse amid Fierce Fighting in Karbala US forces, having collapsed half of the historic al-Mukhayyam Mosque and set 7 hotels on fire in its environs in Karbala, are continuing to fight Mahdi Army militiamen in the area around the shrine of Imam Husain. Az-Zaman reports that fighting is also heavy in the eastern, al-Abbasiyah […]

Reader Comment: Where is Sistani? Hayder Gallaghan writes, “The silence of Sayyid Sistani has become deafening. An historic masjid destroyed, along with neighboring hotels and the better part of a shopping district. One report says that they were stacking bodies in the streets. But no U.S. soldiers killed! One Iraqi who witnessed the carnage said […]

Reader Comment: Where is Sistani? Hayder Gallaghan writes, “The silence of Sayyid Sistani has become deafening. An historic masjid destroyed, along with neighboring hotels and the better part of a shopping district. One report says that they were stacking bodies in the streets. But no U.S. soldiers killed! One Iraqi who witnessed the carnage said […]

Iraqi Leaders want to See Karpinski in the Docket with Saddam az-Zaman Iraqi political figures Wednesday condemned Brig. Gen. Janice Karpinsky, head of the Military Police in charge of prisoners at Abu Ghuraib prison last fall, as responsible for the abuse and torture of the inmates there. They called for her to be tried in […]

Iraqi Leaders want to See Karpinski in the Docket with Saddam az-Zaman Iraqi political figures Wednesday condemned Brig. Gen. Janice Karpinsky, head of the Military Police in charge of prisoners at Abu Ghuraib prison last fall, as responsible for the abuse and torture of the inmates there. They called for her to be tried in […]

Muslim Authorities Condemn Berg Killing Muslim authorities at al-Azhar Seminary, the preeminent center of learning for Sunni Islam, vehemently condemned the brutal murder of Nick Berg by terrorists in Iraq, according to Sobhy Mujahid. ‘ “Islam respects the human being, dead or alive, and cutting off the American’s head was an act of mutilation forbidden […]

Muslim Authorities Condemn Berg Killing Muslim authorities at al-Azhar Seminary, the preeminent center of learning for Sunni Islam, vehemently condemned the brutal murder of Nick Berg by terrorists in Iraq, according to Sobhy Mujahid. ‘ “Islam respects the human being, dead or alive, and cutting off the American’s head was an act of mutilation forbidden […]