Juan Cole

Cheney Ignored British Warnings on Post-War Instability in Iraq Former British ambassador to Washington Sir Christopher Meyer has revealed to the Guardian that the British repeatedly pressed US Vice President Dick Cheney and the Pentagon on planning for the chaotic situation in post-war Iraq. They got no satisfaction from either, even though the State Department […]

17 US soldiers Dead, 5 Injured, One Missing Eyewitnesses near Mosul say that they saw a low-flying Black Hawk helicopter take ground fire and turn ablaze before trying to gain altitude and crashing into another Black Hawk above it. The collision killed 17 US troops, injured 5, and left one missing. Over 400 US troops […]

Istanbul Synagogue Bombing Kills 22, wounds 242 My money is on al-Qaeda as the culprits in the two massive car bombs that went off in Istanbul’s Galata district on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath, outside two synagogues. Because the street was bustling, many or most of the killed and wounded were apparently Muslims. Istanbul is one […]

4 Americans Killed in Iraq Guerrillas killed two soldiers and wounded three with an explosive charge aimed at their convoy north of Baghdad on Friday. Friday morning, guerrillas launched a similar bomb attack in central Baghdad, wounding a 1st Armored Division soldier, who later died from shrapnel. Late Thursday, attackers opened fire on US civilians […]

US moves to Hand Sovereignty to Iraqis by June; Well, Sort of We now know what the anonymous Arab diplomat meant when he told the New York Times that he had met with Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz and that all of them were focused on an “exit strategy” for Iraq. ABC News seems to have been […]

Muqtada al-Sadr Praises New Transition to an Iraqi Government Young Shiite radical Muqtada al-Sadr, in his Friday Prayers sermon at Kufa, also praised the new program, saying that any step that restored sovereignty to Iraqis was a step in the right direction. He said that the decision of the US to move in this direction […]

Riot in Samawah AP reported that demonstrators threw rocks in downtown Samawah, protesting alleged police corruption. Iraqi police tried to deal with the rally by firing into the crowds, wounded at least one man. The hostilities died down when Dutch soldiers appeared.

Fateful US Choices in Iraq Rory McCarthy, writing for the Guardian from Baghdad, has outlined the new policy options facing Paul Bremer now that his original 7-stage plan has been abandoned. “Plans now being considered include: · Letting an enlarged governing council immediately take over the responsibilities of a transitional government · Enlarging the governing […]

Blackwill, NSC tapped to take over Iraq from Rumsfeld Reliable diplomatic sources in New York have told al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that the Bush administration has decided to reduce the role of the Department of Defense in Iraq and to gradually give that responsibility to the National Security Council and the White House. They said that […]