Bushshiites Vs

Juan Cole 12/08/2006

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Bush/Shiites vs. Baker/Saudis?

In my article today at Salon.com, “Will Bush choose his new friends over his old? points out that “The president’s Shiite allies in Iraq really don’t like some of James Baker’s Sunni-friendly suggestions.”

By the time the Iraq Study Group report was released, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the previous week of diplomacy between Bush and the two leading Shiite politicians in Iraq. I argue that Bush’s Shiite clients contribute to his policy-making.

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