Us Soldier Killed Constitution Vote

Juan Cole 10/19/2005

US Soldier Killed
Constitution vote count Delayed

Early Wednesday a roadside bomb had already taken the life of one GI and wounded several others.

Final results from the Iraqi constitution will be delayed until at least Friday, after questions were raised about the provinces’ tallies.

“A dramatic increase in security spending in Iraq and a shift in reconstruction priorities have created a “reconstruction gap” that will leave many projects planned by the US “on the drawing board”, a US government watchdog warned yesterday”, says the Financial Times.

Part 2 of my interview with Tom Engelhardt is at Tomdispatch.com.

The Lenin’s Tomb Blog points out that recent opinion polling in Iraq shows that a majority of Iraqis reject the kind of loose federalism now enshrined in the Iraqi constitution! This is true of both Shiites and Sunnis.

Will blog more on Wednesday.

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Distinguished University Professor in the History Department 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