Arab World

2.2 Million Internally Displaced Iraqis; Sadrists Warn US on Basra; 37 Killed in Bombings, Shootings Saturday

The Sadr Movement in Basra is warning the US military not to try to come into the province to replace the departing British troops. Suspected Mahdi Army roadside bombs have inflicted unusually high casualties on British troops in the deep south this year. The International Organization for Migration is reporting that its data show that […]

Iraq

Sadrists Reject Moves to Unseat al-Maliki 7 US Troops Killed Bush was Told Iraq Had no WMD

Juan Cole

7 US troops were killed 4 of them in al-Anbar profince and the other 3 in Ninevah proince. Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that Sadrist spokesman Baha’ al-A’raji says that his bloc in parliament is not exploring new alliances with a view to unseating Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He said such a move would destabilize Iraq […]

Egypt

French Fear Guerilla War in Egypt, 1798

Juan Cole

Note: My talk on Napoleon’s Egypt will be shown in the US on CSPAN-2 at 10 pm EDT on Sunday evening, September 9. At the Napoleon’s Egypt blog, a late 18th century complaint from a regular officer about the enemy’s guerrilla tactics: “The Mameloucs [Mamluks]*, though beaten, may re-assemble. Their manner of making war authorizes […]

Iraq

David Enders on Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria

Juan Cole

Via Fareed Zakaria’s “Foreign Exchange,” an interview with David Enders, a journalist just back from Iraq with an unvarnished view of the situation. As I understand it, this is a 4-minute preview, with the whole interview to be available at Foreignexchange.tv from Saturday forward. Hat tip to the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.

Egypt

The Nation Review of Napoleon’s Egypt

Juan Cole

Roger Owen’s review of my new book, Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East is now online at The Nation. Owen, who teaches at Harvard, is among our foremost historians of modern Egypt, and one the few who have worked both on economic and on political history. He is author of State, Power and Politics in […]

Iraq

Fears of Sunni Arab Tribal Feuding in Diyala Cheney, Rumsfeld blamed by Blunkett for Dissolving Iraqi Army

Juan Cole

With regard to the recent dust-up in the pages of the NYT between Bush and Bremer over the dismantling of the Iraqi Army, Ward Harkavy at the Village Voice reminds us that the mystery has already been solved by former British Home Secretary David Blunkett. He revealed in his memoirs that Cheney and Rumsfeld were […]

Iraq

Helman: Bush’s Stage-Managed Photo Op with Sunni Sheikhs May Spell Trouble in Future

Juan Cole

Ambassador Gerald B. Helman writes: Perhaps the most telling commentary on the situation today in Iraq is the choice of a remote, heavily fortified US airbase in Anbar province for the President’s third visit to Iraq. He was joined by his senior national security officials, all kinds of four-stars, including General Petreus, and Ambassador Crocker. […]

Iraq

Josh Marshall on the Numbers Game in Iraq

Juan Cole

From Josh Marshall’s Veracifier site, “Iraq by the Numbers”.

Iraq

Sadrists Threaten Civil Disobedience Da’wa Leader Slams Bush for Base Visit

Juan Cole

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the Sadr movement is complaining bitterly about the ongoing detention of its leaders. A spokesman for the Sadr office of Muqtada al-Sadr in Diwaniya threatened a campaign of civil disobedience if the arrests do not stop and if those arrested are not let go. Someone should tell Sheikh Abu Zaynab, […]