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“Reviving old Desires:”  Saadi and Omar Khayyam  on Celebrating the New Year
Featured

“Reviving old Desires:” Saadi and Omar Khayyam on Celebrating the New Year

Juan Cole

The dawn wind wafts the scent of the New Year / to friends’ delight and triumphant good cheer.

Iran Protests Intensify Amid Rial Free Fall, Mounting Regional Tensions

Iran Protests Intensify Amid Rial Free Fall, Mounting Regional Tensions

01/01/2026 By Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

What “Loving-Kindness” Meditation is and How to Practice it in the New Year

What “Loving-Kindness” Meditation is and How to Practice it in the New Year

01/01/2026 By The Conversation

More Stories

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Cole in Salon: Obama and Clinton on Aljazeera

Cole in Salon: Obama and Clinton on Aljazeera

My column, “Clinton and Obama on Aljazeera,” is just out in Salon.com. It is based in part on an interview I did with the editor-in-chief […]

Juan Cole

Iraq
Mosul Offensive Catches Residents Off Guard; Turks Bomb N. Iraq; New Bloc in Parliament?

Mosul Offensive Catches Residents Off Guard; Turks Bomb N. Iraq; New Bloc in Parliament?

The Mosul operation came so unexpectedly for residents of the major northern city that they did not have time to stock up on food. Alexandra […]

Juan Cole

Iraq
Maliki-Sadr Agreement on Sadr City; Al-Maliki Heads to Mosul

Maliki-Sadr Agreement on Sadr City; Al-Maliki Heads to Mosul

The al-Maliki government and the Sadrists pulled back from the brink in Sadr City on Saturday. PM Nuri al-Maliki had demanded that the Mahdi Army […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Sadrists Denounce Sistani and al-Maliki

Sadrists Denounce Sistani and al-Maliki

AFP reports that on Friday an aide to junior cleric Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr lashed out at Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani over his silence at the […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
OSC: Lebanon — Both Sides Take Tough Line, Leave Room To Maneuver

OSC: Lebanon — Both Sides Take Tough Line, Leave Room To Maneuver

The USG Open Source Center analyzes the Lebanese press on the crisis between the Seniora government and Hizbullah, suggesting that despite their harsh words, they […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Beirut Ramping Up

Beirut Ramping Up

Irina Prentice writes from Beirut: Beirut Ramping Up Yesterday afternoon the political fight came to a head, turning to armed conflict throughout key neighborhoods in […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Lebanon takes 2 Steps toward Civil War; Beirut in Chaos

Lebanon takes 2 Steps toward Civil War; Beirut in Chaos

On late Friday, the Lebanese army moved into some neighborhoods that had been taken during the day by the Hizbullah militia. Hizbullah routed Sunni militiamen […]

Juan Cole

Iraq
Sadr City Residents Warned to Leave;

Sadr City Residents Warned to Leave;

AFP reports, “25 killed as Rockets Shatter Basra Calm.” Shiite guerrillas fired a barrage of rockets at the British base out at the airport in […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Sick Guest Op-Ed: More on Hillary Clinton and Obliterating Iran

Sick Guest Op-Ed: More on Hillary Clinton and Obliterating Iran

Gary Sick, a political scientist at Columbia University and former National Security Council staffer under Carter and Reagan, writes: Hillary Clinton’s warning that the United […]

Juan Cole

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