Middle East

Ussama Makdisi writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: In the tragic story of U.S-Arab relations, no era has been as violent as our own. And yet when President Obama began his presidency, he initiated a series of highly-anticipated gestures to the Muslim world. His interview with the Arabic satellite channel Al-Arabiyya was followed […]

Iraq

50 Dead, 128 wounded in Iraq Attacks

Juan Cole

As Iraq continues to muddle along with no new government all these months after the March 7 parliamentary elections, insurgents struck in the capital. The London pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reports in Arabic that Sunday witnessed a series of massive bombings in Baghdad that left 160 dead or wounded, the worst toll since 17 August. In […]

Iraq

Amnesty: 30,000 Held in Iraq without Due Process;
Evidence of Abuse

Juan Cole

Iraq holding thirty thousand prisoners without due process, often torturing or abusing them, according to Amnesty International

Turkey

Turkey’s Constitutional Referendum Extends Range of Liberties

Juan Cole

The question in the American blogosphere seems to be whether the referendum on Turkey’s constitutional changes was good for democracy or good for the sharia (the system of Muslim law, analogous to Roman Catholic canon law, against which the American right wing is now rallying). First of all, no one in Turkey is talking about […]

Afghanistan

Iraqi Soldier Kills 2 Americans, Wounds 9

Juan Cole

The killing of two American servicemen and the wounding of 9 others by a Kurdish member of Iraqi special operations unit on Tuesday at Tuz Khurmatu is a real puzzle. The US troops were up at that Iraqi commando base in the mixed Kurdish, Turkmen and Arab town of Tuz Khurmatu escorting American officers who […]

Iraq

Jordanian Responses to President Obama’s Iraq Speech

Juan Cole

The USG Open Source Center summarizes Jordanian editorials on the end of US major combat in Iraq and the future of that country, as well as American-Arab relations: Jordanian Writers View US Troop Withdrawal From Iraq, Future Possibilities Jordan — OSC Summary Monday, September 6, 2010 Jordanian writers on 1 September express different views on […]

Iraq

Iraqi Military Acts Swiftly to Avert Minibus Bombing at Rusafa HQ

Juan Cole

Five suicide bombers set off a minibus bomb outside the military facility at the old Defense Ministry building in Baghdad around 10 am on Sunday, killing 12 persons and wounding at least 36. According to WaPo, two of the assailants then got inside the building, where they were targeted by US soldiers, in the course […]

Iraq

Shiites Choose Adel Abdul Mahdi as PM Candidate

Juan Cole

Al-Hayat writing in Arabic reports that the Shiite fundamentalist coalition, the National Iraqi Alliance, has conducted a vote and selected Adel Abdul Mahdi as the list’s candidate for the post of prime minister. Abdul Mahdi is the outgoing vice president of Iraq and is from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI). Four major parties […]

Iraq

Obama hands Iraq to Iraqis, Sort of;
al-Maliki Declares Independence

Juan Cole

Some wag observed of the camel that it is “an animal designed by a committee.” Likewise, the speech that President Obama gave on the end of the US direct combat mission in Iraq last night appeared to have been designed by a committee. Intended to please everyone, it likely altogether pleased no one. With regard […]