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Mitchell: Land Reform essential for Democracy Professor Timothy Mitchell, of the New York University Political Science Department, spoke on contemporary Middle East affairs in Ann Arbor on Thursday. Mitchell is among the more original and insightful thinkers about the region. One point he made was that successful democratization, whether in Japan, India or elsewhere, has […]

Some Business Dealings of the CPA in Iraq may contravene International Law I was glad finally to see some experts in international law raise questions about the American shock therapy plan for Iraq, which involves selling off state owned enterprises and allowing foreign firms to buy 100% of them and then immediately to export the […]

Feldman Denies Writing Report Informed Comment received an email from Professor Noah Feldman saying that he had not, as al-Zaman alleged, written a report for the CPA on the likely form of the Iraqi constitution. It appears that al-Zaman was summarizing an article in the Daily Telegraph, and mistook a few oral comments for a […]

Eyewitness Account of the Attack on the Al-Rashid Hotel Posted by permission: “10/26/03 Today things hit closer to home than previous acts of violence here in Baghdad. It was near 6:00 AM in the morning and I was half awake, I usually get up at that time. Then, boom, a thunderous thud rattled the building. […]

4 US troops killed, 1 wounded, 7 Ukrainian Troops wounded Guerrillas in Blid, 60 miles north of Baghdad, attacked US troops Tuesday with rockets and automatic weapons, killing two. Monday night, north of Baghdad, a US tank hit a land mine, and it was destroyed, killing two soldiers inside. In Kut, guerrillas ambushed a Ukrainian […]

Reading into the Mind of a Terrorist See Mark Clayton’s summary of some of the techniques used by the 9/11 hijackers to stay in their monstrous mindset. It is based in part on some of my own work. I put up parts of a paper I gave on it (the link is to the left). […]

Feldman: Iraq will be an Islamic Republic at Odds with the West Noah Feldman, an independent consultant to the Coalition Provisional Authority and to President Bush has [written a report]* to the White House casting severe doubts on the likelihood that Iraq will emerge as a Western-style democarcy with separation of religion and state and […]

Sistani Representative Wounded in attack in Karbala Shaykh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbala’i was wounded in the head and five guards were also wounded when assailants tossed hand grenades and fired machine guns at him as he left the shrine of Imam Husayn in the holy Shiite city of Karbala late on Wednesday. Al-Karbala’i is the representative […]

Thai Prime Minister threatens pull-out of Troops The Thai prime minister said Wednesday that the 447 Thai troops at Karbala would be pulled out of the country if they appeared to be in danger. Most of them are medics and engineers, and they are under Polish command. UPI reported, “Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told the […]