Among authoritarians, economics exists for the sake of political extraction, and private wealth is only permitted on condition of complicity
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Rubaie: No Permanent Bases; Bombing Near Allawi’s Compound; Basra Christians cancel Christmas Celebrations
Iraq’s national security adviser, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, said Tuesday that the Iraqi nation would never permit permanent US military bases in that country. He named some […]
"Cole in Salon: The GOP’s Iran option is off the table
My column in Salon.com, “The GOP’s Iran option is off the table.” The subhead is: “Rudy Giuliani was counting on Iran as a weapon of […]
Giuliani, Reagan, and Kissing up to Ayatollahs with fancy Cakes
I just saw this campaign ad for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign. He says that Iran held US embassy hostages for 444 days. Then they were […]
Muqtada al-Sadr Regroups Sadrists Condemn al-Hakim’s Visit to Washington Mortars hit Prison
Sam Dagher of the Christian Science Monitor is a good reason to subscribe to CSM. He reports on the way Muqtada al-Sadr is using his […]
Police Chief of Hilla Killed; And, 40 Women Killed in Basra
Guerrillas deployed a roadside bomb to kill the police chief of Hilla, a largely Shiite city south of Baghdad. AP reports that “Religious vigilantes have […]
Oprah and Obama: Irony of the Week
The irony of the week is that Oprah Winfrey has come out strongly for Barack Obama as president. Why is that ironic? Because the subtext […]
Napoleon’s Scientists and the Pyramids
At the NYT, Katherine Bouton reviews Nina Burleigh’s new book, “Mirage: Napoleon’s Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt,” which I’m eager to see. In the […]
Guerrilla War 3.0 in Iraq; Attacks in Bayji, Yusufiya, Elsewhere, Kill 32, Wound Dozens; Dulaimi’s Sunnis Unlikely to Rejoin Government
Guerrillas differ from conventional armies in that they typically avoid direct, conventional engagements on the battlefield. They melt away before a conventional army’s advance, and […]
US Deploys Pakistani Insurgents against Al-Qaeda
The USG Open Source Center translates an article from an opposition Afghanistan newspaper alleging that Washington it deploying Pakistani tribal levies against the Taliban and […]
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