Juan Cole

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, […]

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, […]

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 […]