*Ex-Baathist provocateurs attempted to turn a peaceful demonstration by the unemployed in Basra into a violent riot on Saturday, but failed, according to al-Zaman. The Iraqi unemployment rate is usually given as 60%, and a lot of people are desperate.
About the Author
Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page
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