Iraq

David Swanson writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: The Neoconservatives, despite wandering in the wilderness after their Iraq debacle, are trying to keep the dream of serial wars in the Middle East alive. Freedom Watch and the Foundation for Democracy in Iran sponsored a National Press Club event on November 17, in which […]

Iraq

Allawi Predicts new Iraqi Government will Fall Quickly

Juan Cole

Iyad Allawi in London is throwing cold water on the idea that a stable Iraqi government is now being formed. According to Reuters he is saying that the original power-sharing formula (presumably the one worked out with the Americans Nov. 6) has collapsed and is “dead.” He told Reuters, “The formula for power sharing has […]

Iraq

4 Christians Killed in Mosul, Iraq, as Exodus Continues

Juan Cole

From Monday evening through Tuesday, extremists launched several attacks on Iraqi Christians in the northern, mostly Sunni Arab city of Mosul (pop. 2 million), killing four. It should be remembered that attacking Christians is a political tactic of the militants. Otherwise, the Christians were there because they had been tolerated by Muslims, and Iraqi Muslims […]

Iraq

Sunni Arabs Return to Parliament but Shiite-Kurdish Ascendancy Holds: Ahmadinejad Congratulates his Candidate, al-Maliki

Juan Cole

Al-Hayat writing in Arabic reports on Saturday’s successful parliamentary session in Baghdad, which was joined by the Iraqiya Party, for which most Sunni Arabs had voted. The parliament had elected Jalal Talabani of the Kurdistan Alliance as president and has put in Usama al-Nujayfi of Iraqiya as speaker of parliament. Apparently Iraqiya leader Iyad Allawi […]

Iraq

Iran-backed al-Maliki Tapped to form Government in Iraq

Juan Cole

Iraqi politicians have finally begun forming a government at long last, 8 months after the parliamentary elections of March 7. Parliament finally met Thursday and elected Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani president once again. By the constitution, the president then asks the leader of the bloc with the largest number of seats in parliament to attempt […]

Iraq

Iraq’s Christians Urged to Flee, al-Maliki Says they Should Stay, and Everyone Wonders where the Government Is

Juan Cole

Update:: The NYT is reporting that on Wednesday morning, more bombings targeted Christians in Baghdad, leaving 3 dead and 28 wounded. Some of those hit were Muslims racing to help Christian neighbors. The bombers are radical Sunni Muslim extremists, “al-Qaeda” in the current parlance though they probably have nothing to do with Usama Bin Laden, […]

al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Threatens Egyptian, Iraqi Christians

Juan Cole

The Guardian argues that Sunni Arab religious radicals (“al-Qaeda”) released from US or Iraqi custody in recent months have formed newly assertive cells and that they, schooled by their time in jail with other guerrillas, are newly assertive in their bombing attacks on Baghdad. This week they targeted Catholics and then Shiites. Radicals released threats […]

Iraq

Maliki Announces Gain in Parliament as Baghdad mourns Church Massacre

Juan Cole

Iraq’s security problems continue to be severe, if not generally crippling the way they were in 2006, as underlined by Sunday’s guerrilla takeover of a Baghdad church and the subsequent deaths of dozens when the terrorists detonated suicide belts during a government rescue attempt on Monday. The al-Qaeda operatives who took hostages said that they […]

Afghanistan

Cole in Truthdig: “The World Is Safer Without a Republican House”

Juan Cole

My column is out at Truthdig is out, entitled “The World Is Safer Without a Republican House” Excerpt: ‘ Although Congress for the most part leaves foreign policy to the president, it can occasionally intervene pivotally in that arena, as when it shot down Woodrow Wilson’s plan to have the U.S. join the League of […]