Juan Cole

Evangelicals in Congress seek to Shape Iraqi Constitution Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. have inserted provisions into the legislation that would authorize $87 bn. for Iraq, according to Knight Ridder. The legislation instructs the Coalition Provisional Authority to work to ensure that the new Iraqi constitution protects freedom of religion, especially […]

IGC moves Against Sadr Militia in Karbala The Interim Governing Council sent Iraqi police into the al-Mukayam mosque in the holy city of Karbala Tuesday to arrest armed militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. They were assisted by US troops, but it was good that the main steps were taken by Iraqis. Interior Minister Nuri al-Badran […]

Human Rights Watch: US killings of Civilians are not Investigated Human Rights Watch maintains that US troops have killed over a hundred Iraqi civlians over the past few months, but that the US military has investigated none of these killings. Meanwhile, in Falluja a family is alleging that US troops executed a family member while […]

Authority of Sistani versus Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq Alex Berenson argues in the NYT that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has much wider support among Iraqi Shiites than Muqtada al-Sadr, and that the latter has actually lost some enthusiasts through a set of recent missteps, including proclaiming a shadow government and trying to take over shrines […]

Armed Sadrists take Back their HQ near Basra Shaikh Murtada al-Hajjaj, the assistant head of the office of Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra, said that 100 Sadrist militiamen succeeded in taking back control of their headquarters in Shatt al-Arab, 3 kilometers south of Basra, from the Iraqi police and British troops that had occupied it last […]

IGC hopes new Finances will Grant more Autonomy from US Some of the reasons for which the US did not initially want a separate fund for UN monies in Iraq may be apparent in an AFP story on the Interim Governing Council wanting more authority than Paul Bremer is willing to grant it. It seems […]

Iranian Intelligence Infiltrates Karbala Abdul Hussein Mahmoud, the caretaker of the mausoleum of Imam Husayn in Karbala alleges that Iranian intelligence agents have slipped into Iraq in the guise of pilgrims visiting the Shiite shrine cities, with the aim of destabilizing Iraq. Likewise, Hashim Abd al-Amir, head of security at the mausoleum, says he has […]

One US soldier Killed, 5 wounded in Iraq Guerrillas exploded an improvised explosive device as a patrol of the 82nd Airborne Division was passing near Fallujah on Monday at 1 pm Iraq time, then attacked with small arms fire (the typical tactic of the low-grade guerrilla war). This was the third attack in two days […]

New UN-controlled Fund for Iraq The Bush administration reluctantly allowed the establishment of a development fund for Iraq that would not be under US control, but rather under that of the UN. Without such an independent account, most potential donor nations were balking at contributing to reconstruction. (I take it the subtext is that they […]