Middle East

My Texas oil theory of the Cheney wing’s decision to go to war against Iraq got some (admittedly ex post facto) support on Sunday when it was announced that Hunt Oil is doing a deal for petroleum development in Iraqi Kurdistan. (Such Kurdistan deals are not typically being put through the federal government in Baghdad, […]

Egypt

Cole on CSPAN-2 Tonight at 10 EDT

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 letter from one of Bonaparte’s scientists (a botanist) exhibiting the disillusionment the invaders felt on seizing Egypt. My assistant said it reminded him of Conrad’s “Heart […]

Israel/ Palestine

Global Affairs: Israel Peace Conference; and Roy on the Neocons

Juan Cole

At the Global Affairs group blog: Gershon Shafir writes ‘ The focus of political debate in Israel between now and November will be the planned Peace Conference. Two approaches seem to be shaping up. One is expressed by the Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, who argues that no withdrawal from the West Bank should take […]

Iraq

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

Juan Cole

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 […]