Juan Cole

Mogadishu and Deja Vu All Over Again The 7 rocket strikes at the al-Rashid Hotel and the Baghdad Headquarters of the Coalition Provisional authority wounded an American contractor, but otherwise managed to do relatively little damage if the press is to be believed. Some buildings did get set on fire and sent up black towers […]

Basic Law Signing: “Fallout from Crisis Remains Hamza Hendawi of AP reports today on the signing of the Basic Law in Baghdad. The five Shiite hold-outs decided to sign “for the sake of national unity” despite severe reservations about some of the clauses. In particular, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani had signalled to them his objection […]

McCarthyite Advisory Committee Threatens International Studies Just a reminder to everyone that I had asked over the weekend for help in fighting the Advisory Committee provision of HR 3077. Please fax your senator if she or he is on the HELP committee (see the hyperlinked posting just cited in “I had asked”), or the senate […]

Zabriskie on Iraq: “There is Anger Everywhere” Time Correspondent Phil Zabriskie let down his hair with a high school classroom, and let them know exactly what he felt about Iraq after 10 weeks there. ‘ “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It is easily the most unpleasant place I’ve been. There is anger everywhere.” […]

Women’s Rights in Iraq The opinion piece by my wife, Shahin Cole, and myself in the LA Times on Sunday on women’s rights in Iraq is available for the moment at google’s news service. This is part of what we say: “The adoption of the new Fundamental Law, or interim constitution, by the Governing Council […]

Three US Soldiers Wounded in Habaniyah Saturday AP reports . . . U.S. soldiers were wounded after opening fire on a truck packed with explosives in Habaniyah, west of Baghdad. The driver of the truck was killed by the American fire, but three U.S. soldiers were wounded when the truck crashed on a bridge and […]

7 British Soldiers wounded in Battle with Badr, Demonstrators in Amarah Ash-Sharq al-Awsat: The police chief in the province of Maysan announced yesterday that two Iraqi civilians, one of them a woman, were killed Friday in confrontations and an exchange of fire between demonstrators and elements belonging to the Badr Corps on the one hand, […]

Shuttle Diplomacy in Najaf Efforts continued Saturday to iron out differences on the Interim Governing Council about two provisions of the Basic Law, says ash-Sharq al-Awsat Seven Shiite members consulted with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Najaf. The ayatollah is said to be unhappy with a provision that would allow any three provinces, by a […]

All Dressed up with No Place to Go: Setback for Basic Law az-Zaman: On Friday, five Shiite members of the Interim Governing Council suddenly pulled out of signing the Basic Law they had agreed to, with the rest of the IGC, last Monday. A huge formal signing ceremony had been arranged, attended by hundreds of […]