On a wide range of fronts, human and civil rights in Iraq are in trouble. Amnesty International says that there has been a spate of killings of gay men, with 25 murdered in the past two weeks, apparently in some cases with police condoning the attacks. Three were killed in Sadr City, where the Mahdi […]
Wingnut Pundits Who Trashed Obama over Pirate Stand-Off, Proved Wrong for the Zillionth Time
Kenneth T. Walsh at US News & World Report gives details of President Obama’s handling of the Somali pirates’ holding of Captain Richard Phillips hostage. The crisis began early in the morning of April 8, when Somali pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama. The crew captured one pirate, and three others took Captain Phillips hostage. He […]
Cole Interview at Progressive Book Club
The Progressive Book Club’s interview with me about my new book, Engaging the Muslim World, as been posted. Note that if you join the Progressive Book Club, you can get my book for $1. End/ (Not Continued)
Cole & Charlie Rose
Click here for Charlie Rose’s interview with me about my new book, Engaging the Muslim World. Rose’s is among the best interview shows on television, and don’t miss his conversation with my co-guest, Robin Wright, the same day. Engaging the Muslim World End/ (Not Continued)
Cole in Salon: "The Great Right-Wing Freak-Out"
My Salon.com, “The Great Right-Wing Freak-Out” has been posted, with the subtitle: “Symptoms of the conservative crack-up were on full display after President Obama’s trip abroad. Bill Kristol, take a bow.” Excerpt: ‘ President Obama’s recent trip to Europe, Turkey and Iraq was a fairly bland freshman outing in foreign affairs, notable for the enormous […]
Odierno Certain that US Troops will be Out of Iraq by Late 2011
General Ray Odierno, after months of appearing to want to wriggle out of the requirement in the Status of Forces Agreement that US troops depart Iraq by the end of 2011, reversed himself forcefully on CNN on Sunday: ‘ KING: And on a scale of 1 to 10, sir, how confident are you, 10 being […]
Take a Deep Breath on Pakistan
I don’t know David Kilcullen. But the things he is alleged to have told Paul McGeogh of the Sydney Morning Herald about Pakistan are just bizarre. I don’t know what is intended by the prediction that Pakistan might “collapse” in six months. The country faces security challenges, and has already seen terrorist attacks such as […]
Pakistan: US Drones have killed 687 Innocents
Pakistani authorities investigating the aftermath of US bombing raids in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan have come to the conclusion that they cause more harm than good: ‘ Of the 60 cross-border predator strikes carried out by the Afghanistan-based American drones in Pakistan between January 14, 2006 and April 8, 2009, only 10 […]
Suicide Bomber Kills 9 Sons of Iraq, wounds over 30
A suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest detonated his payload Saturday in the midst of a crowd of Sunni Arab militiamen in Iskandariya south of Baghdad. He killed 9 members of the local Awakening Council or “Sons of Iraq,” and wounded dozens. The Awakening Council members took a salary from the US and subsequently from […]