Juan Cole

2 US Troops Killed in Baghdad, 2 Wounded A roadside bomb killed two US troops in Baghdad, along with a civilian translator, and wounded two others. According to Michelle Faul of AP, the US military is worried that guerrillas will mount a Christmas offensive against US troops in Iraq. In other developments, interim Foreign Minister […]

Sistani on Elections In an interview with the Baghdad daily az-Zaman, a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said that he expects his negotiations with various parties concerning the transition to an Iraqi government this summer to bear fruit in a matter of days. (Sistani has exchanged letters with US civil administrator Paul Bremer, and […]

RPG attack in Mosul injures 1; Sabotage of Petroleum Facilities Michelle Faul reports that on Sunday, guerrillas in Mosul launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a US military convoy. The grenade, fired near a police recruitment center, hit a civilian vehicle and seriously wounded the Iraqi driver. The nearby US troops were unharmed. Guerrillas using rpg’s […]

Wrangling over the Future of Kurdistan Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, a member of the Interim Governing Council, announced Sunday that the Kurds would not be satisfied with provincial federalism in Iraq. It was not enough that each of the 18 provinces retained certain privileges not granted to Baghdad. He wants the Kurdish regions to be […]

Al-Hakim in Damascus Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, president for December of the Interim Governing Council, visited Damascus and announced that he was seeking a security agreement with Syria that would guarantee “cooperation in preventing terrorist operations and prohibiting illegal infiltration,” since “the problem of security is one that Syria may face, just as Iraq does.” [Was […]

Steps toward Trying Saddam in Iraq According to al-Hayat, the court judge, Dara Nuruddin, a member of the Interim Governing Council, announced that 20 judges will be appointed to look into the crimes of Saddam’s regime, in preparation for trying him. He predicted that the investigation, gathering information and evidence will “take months.” He said […]

Vigilanteism in Karbala: Curfew Announced Basil Abdul Majid reports in az-Zaman that a curfew has been announced in the city as a result of threats against the provincial authorities and police chief. The Phalange Militias of Revolutionary Karbala Youth have threatened to purge the officials, alleging a worsening of administrative corruption and bribe-taking in the […]

Saddam Trial May Backfire The following interview appeared in the Ann Arbor News on Sunday. In it I take a contrarian stand. I know that there are lots of good reasons to try Saddam in Iraq, but I have a very bad feeling about this. My wife, Shahin Cole, pointed out to me that Saddam […]

Wave of Assassinations Against Baathists in Wake of Saddam’s Capture Even before Saddam was captured on Dec. 13, a wave of assassinations of former Baathist officials had begun in Baghdad (following on a similar campaign in summer and fall in Basra). The assassinations appear to have accelerated now that the former Baathist leader is in […]