Arab World

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Tens of thousands of Iraqis massed in the Jadriya district of Baghdad on Friday to demand that U.S. troops leave Iraq. Mostly religious Shiites, some of whom came from the south of the country, they were responding to a call for demonstrations by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and by heads […]

Corporate Surveillance

Did Saudi prince Bin Salman personally Hack Jeff Bezos’s Phone, Vacuuming up Secrets? What about Jared Kushner?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Update 1/25/20: Subsequent reporting at WSJ and elsewhere has raised questions about how solid the conclusions were, of the cyber-security firm hired by Jeff Bezos, that pointed with certainty to a hack coming from the cell phone of Mohammed Bin Salman. We’ve long known that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s phone […]

Donald Trump

The U.S. and Iran are Having a Huge Food Fight in Iraq after Trump assassinated Soleimani

The Conversation

By Bamo Nouri | – When thousands of anti-government protesters returned to Iraq’s streets on January 10, they were expressing anger at the explosion of foreign interference in their country’s affairs in early 2020. “Keep your war away,” one banner read, referring to the escalation of US-Iranian tensions in early January following the US assassination […]

Iraq

Chris Hedges: From Jerusalem to Gaza and Iraq, the Sacred Bonds of Kindness that Make us Human (Video)

Emir-Stein Center

Emir-Stein Center | Chris Hedges | – “Evil, even in the darkest moments, is impotent before the miracle of human kindness. This miracle defies prejudices and hatreds. It crosses cultures and religions. It lies at the core of faith. Take a brief journey through the eyes of American, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges to Jerusalem, […]

Houthi

Saudi-Led Coalition, Houthis still Ravaging Yemen with War Crimes: Millions at Risk

Human Rights Watch

( Human Rights Watch ) – (Beirut) – Yemen’s armed conflict and humanitarian crisis is resulting in unspeakable suffering for millions of civilians despite increasing global attention to abuses occurring in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020. The Saudi government’s murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in late […]

Donald Trump

Challenge to Trump: Muqtada al-Sadr & Iraqi Shiite leaders Call for a Million-Man March against US Military Occupation

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iraqi nationalist Shiite clergyman Muqtada al-Sadr said Tuesday that he and the Iraqi Popular Protection Units have planned out a Million-person March to demand that Trump withdraw US troops from Iraq. Sadr leads the Sairun bloc in Parliament, which with 54 seats is the largest party in parliament. The Trump […]

Donald Trump

Trump’s “WMD” Scandal? Was the Charge of “Imminent” Soleimani Attack Just Made Up?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Trump administration’s claims that it assassinated Gen. Qasem Soleimani because he posed an imminent threat to American lives and was coming to Baghdad to launch an immediate attack the US embassy there have fallen apart. Commentators are suggesting that the “imminent threat” argument is the equivalent for the Trump […]

Donald Trump

Trump Admin. declares US an Occupying Power in Iraq, Puts US Troops in Jeopardy by Refusing to Leave

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdulmahdi late last week requested a meeting with the US government to plan out the departure of US troops, which has been mandated by the Iraqi parliament (it was a firm order, not “advisory”– see below). Abdulmahdi asked the US to sent two delegates to […]

Donald Trump

All the Ways Trump’s Attack on Gen. Soleimani Violated International and Iraqi Law

The Conversation

By David Mednicoff | – Editor’s note: Iran’s missile attack on a U.S. base in Iraq in retaliation for the Trump administration’s killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani has dramatically escalated global tensions. Dozens of questions have swirled around the events. Beyond the politics, international law and Middle Eastern scholar David Mednicoff from the University […]