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Role of the United Nations in dispute az-Zaman has been reporting that 12 of the Shiite members of the Interim Governing Council, including expatriate Ahmad Chalabi, are opposed to the return to Iraq of special UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. They are angry that he certified that open, direct elections could not be held before June […]

Did al-Qaeda Win the Spanish Elections? This silly question is being asked by billionnaire Rupert Murdoch’s and Conrad Black’s media outlets all over the world in blazing headlines. For some strange reason, the billionnaires aren’t happy that the Socialist Workers’ Party won the elections in Spain, and are trying to portray the outcome as cowardice […]

Sunnis of Iraq “Apprehensive, Defiant” A British reporter recently in Baghdad kindly sent me the following impressions: “1. I didn’t get out of the city at all because of the security situation, and I concentrated mainly on talking to Sunnis. The ones I met were both apprehensive and defiant: apprehensive about “what the Americans are […]

Shiite Account of Visitation (‘pilgrimage’) to Holy Shrines of Iraq This is a fascinating account of an expatriate Shiite’s return to Iraq for religious visitation to the shrines. The narrative of bribing his way past the guards at the Syrian border for $200; the images of chaotic, heavy traffic and drivers driving on the wrong […]

Assassination attempt on head of Iraqi Turkmen Front This just came in: “IRAQI TURKMEN FRONT WASHINGTON REPRESENTATION On Sunday, March 14,th, 2004, there has an assasination attempt on the president of the Iraqi Turkmen Front Dr. Farouk Abdullah at Khalis, 50 Km north of Baghdad while on his way to Kirkuk. A remotely controlled roadside […]

Heydemann Slams “Big Brother” Committee for Middle East Studies Steve Heydemann writes in the Chicago Tribune against “Warping Middle East Judgments,” referring to the Neocon campaign to get Congress to set up a Big Brother Committee to monitor professors of Middle East and International Studies. (Registration required). Heydemann writes, ‘The threatening intent of critics is […]

6 US Soldiers Killed over Weekend, Shiites Protest Killing of Qazwini The Associated Press reports that 6 US soldiers were killed in Iraq in roadside bombings over the past weekend. Guerrillas also detonated a bomb on the Khalis – Kirkuk road that killed two Iraqi civilians. Nine US servicemen have been killed in the past […]

Spain’s voters Reject Aznar’s Popular Party I was struck by the comment of a Spaniard in Charles Sennot’s Boston Globe piece on the Spanish elections. He quoted a voter who was disturbed by the way Aznar had manipulated information and public opinion, accusing him of lying about the threat posed by Iraq. He said that […]

Sistani-Linked Groups begin Popular Campaign Against Interim Constitution AFP/az-Zaman On Sunday, Shiite clergymen, cultural figures and notables began an organized campaign against the newly signed interim constitution. It is believed that they are supported in this movement by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. They are encouraging Iraqis to reject the document, and to sign petitions that […]