Juan Cole

The Failure of Reagan’s Afghanistan Policy The Reagan administration policy in Afghanistan was not a “most successful departure” but, in my opinion, an absolute disaster that led in many ways directly to September 11. The Soviet Union was already on its last legs economically in the 1980s. As the empire collapsed, a Soviet-dominated Afghanistan would […]

Opposition to Musharraf wins Big in Pakistan Early returns available in the Pakistani elections held October 10 reveal a strong anti-Musharraf tendency among those few who could be bothered to go to the polls (turnout was reportedly light, presumably in response to Musharraf’s having made it clear that the army would continue to retain ultimate […]

Bin Laden and Pakistan’s Elections A letter is being distributed in Peshawar allegedly from Usama Bin Laden, urging Pakistanis to vote for the enemies of Gen. Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan’s elections, which are being held October 10. Thousands of copies of the letter in Arabic and Urdu are circulating in the Northwest Frontier Province, where […]

History News Network 10-07-02: Fact & Fiction Jerry Falwell on Muhammad By Juan Cole Mr. Cole is professor of Middle East and South Asian history at the University of Michigan and author of Sacred Space and Holy War (I. B. Tauris, 2002). His web site is www.juancole.com. Jerry Falwell, the fundamentalist televangelist, has said, “I […]

Saddam Hussein says he refuses to resign and will remain in power, attempting to dampen down the rumors flying in Europe that he might step down in order to avoid a war with the United States. This is not a big surprise, since Saddam’s whole purpose in life is to be a dictator. Besides, if […]

Falwell on Muhammad Jerry Falwell’s absurd charge on CBS’s Sixty Minutes on Oct. 6 that the Prophet Muhammad was a terrorist was leaked late last week and has attracted some reaction in the Gulf region and farther afield. According to Agence France Presse, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi responded by saying, “This insult of the […]

The Real Reasons for the Iraq War Jay Bookman of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (9/29/02) argued that the Iraq war is actually aimed at securing an empire for the United States, and that the other reasons given are a cover: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/sunday/issue_d369495ba6c610e900c3.html I agree with Bookman that the reasons the Bush administration has been giving for going […]

Iraqi Shiites [Question:] >In an op-ed in NYT today Frank Smyth says the great majority of Iraqi >Shi’is are Akhbaris, and hence do not follow the clerical leadership >characteristic of the rival school, dominant in Iran, the Usulis. >(Akhbaris believe in the ability of all believers to interpret the >Traditions, akhbar, of the Imams, while […]

More on Pakistani Elections There is increasing speculation in the Pakistani press that of the 272 seats in the Pakistani parliament, nearly half (around 120) will go to the Muslim League (QA), led by Mian Azhar. This wing of the Muslim League represents itself as hearkening back to the secular principles of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad […]