Middle East

On the False Analogy Between Iraq and South Korea Bush is now talking about a “South Korea” model for Iraq. He likely got this nonsense from John Gaddis at Yale, who I heard talking it last November at the Chicago Humanities Fair. So what confuses me is the terms of the comparison. Who is playing […]

Iraqi Kurdistan Officials Deny US Bases to be Opened in Kurdistan Region The USG Open Source Center translates the following newspaper article from Kurdish: ‘ Iraqi Kurdish Officials Deny US Bases To Be Opened in Kurdistan Region Unattribtued report: “Opening three US military bases and transfer of Incirlik base to Kurdistan”HawlatiWednesday, May 30, 2007 Although […]

Guerrillas Ambush, Kill 10 US GIs Over 100 Iraqis Killed or Found Dead Muqtada condemns Iran for Talking to US As best I can piece it together, Sunni Arab guerrillas in Iraq ran a sophisticated sting on US troops in Diyala province on Memorial Day, killing 8 GIs. First, they shot down a helicopter with […]

24 Killed,90 wounded; Qadiriya Shrine Damaged in Blast Reuters reports that 33 bodies were found in the streets of Baghdad on Monday. Karrada took mortar fire, which left 8 dead and 35 wounded. McClatchy reports that on Sunday night, guerrillas had taken 40 persons hostage in Salahuddin Province, in a bid to counter the operation […]

Embassy Memo Flap and the Decline of the Right Blogosphere Glenn Greenwald and Iraqslogger on that memo about food shortages at the US embassy in Baghdad (which have ended for the moment). The right blogosphere went crazy about this little memo and its authenticity. Uh, guys, I like State Department folks fine (certainly better than […]

10 US GIs Killed 44 Bodies in Baghdad Al-Shamari Informs on Sadrists, Flees to US Iraq had another bloody Sunday yesterday, with the US military announcing the killing of 10 US GIs. Since last Memorial Day, nearly 1,000 US troops have died in Iraq. Reuters reports that 44 bodies were discovered in the streets of […]

8 US GIs Killed US Bombs Sadr City The US military announced the killing of 8 US GIs on Saturday. The Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, visited al-Anbar Province in the company of US Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, to highlight the increased security in the province since Sunni Arab tribal chieftains begain […]

6 US GIs Killed Sunnis Reject Petroleum Bill Reuters reports guerrilla violence on Friday. The killing of 6 US GIs was announced. Iraqi security forces in Basra supported by British troops tried to arrest a Mahdi Army commander as he was coming out of a mosque, and killed him and two of his bodyguards. Guerrillas […]

US Public Skeptical of “Surge,” 72% Disapprove of Bush’s Handling of Iraq It isn’t amazing that 61% of Americans think the US should never have invaded Iraq. [- Courtesy NYT/CBS.] What is amazing is that 35% still think it was a good idea. It isn’t amazing that 76% (including 51% of Republicans) of Americans say […]