Juan Cole

The bombing of a Shiite Ashura procession in Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday, which killed 40 and wounded 60– as horrific as it was– was only the beginning of the paralysis of this major port city and financial center larger than New York. In response to the bombing or encouraged by it, arsonists set fire to […]

Majority Of Tea Party Group's Spending Went To GOP Firm That Created It | TPMMuckraker So let us get this straight. Iran is capable of throwing up a genuine grassroots democratic movement. But supposed US populism is just a project of some corporation aimed at fleecing ordinary people. End/ (Not Continued)

10. Dubai, a financial hub of the Gulf, collapsed economically, and worries were raised that Dubai World could default on billions in loans. Only the likelihood that oil-rich sister emirate, Abu Dhabi, would likely bail Dubai out at least to some extent kept there from being a panic. 9. That Iraq is still far from […]

Conflict Grows Between Pakistan's Taliban and Shi'ites – TIME Omar Waraich argues that Monday’s horrific bombing in Karachi of a Shiite mourning procession signals a deepening Taliban/Shiite struggle in Pakistan. Pakistani analysts also considered that the bombing, which killed 40 and sparked riots in the country’s largest city, may have been intended tactically to provoke […]

The last of the demonstrators Monday morning were dispersed with tear gas in Iran’s cities, and there were no major rallies yesterday. The authorities continued to make arrests among aides to the major reformist leaders, and even among the relatives of the latter. Reformist reports said that the sister of Nobel peace prize winner Shirin […]

Liberal Values: Bush Administration Released Al Qaeda Leaders Who Plotted Detroit Attack To Art Therapy Rehabilitation Program Liberal Values Well there isn’t any doubt that the State Department under Condi Rice and Bush gave Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian terrorist, his multiple-entry US visa. And it was probably influenced by his family’s wealth; rich people get visas […]

The USG Open Source Center translates the claim of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be behind the Christmas day bombing attempt against Northwest Flight 254 by the Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. For more on this organization, see Aljazeera’s profile. Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula Claims Attempted Attack in USJihadist Websites — OSC SummaryTuesday, December […]

The BBC is reporting that clashes are continuing into Monday morning between protesters and the regime security forces in Tehran and perhaps other cities, marking the first decisive failure of the basij paramilitary to control the streets by early morning of the day of a big demonstration. The number of protesters allegedly killed by security […]

Opposition web sites are reporting that big protests broke out Sunday afternoon in several major cities in Iran. The rallies were confronted by police, basij paramilitary, and plains clothes security forces, first with tear gas and then with live ammunition. It is being alleged that at least 4 protesters have been shot dead, and that […]