Informed Comment Homepage

Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Header Right

  • Featured
  • US politics
  • Middle East
  • Environment
  • US Foreign Policy
  • Energy
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • About
  • Archives
  • Submissions

© 2025 Informed Comment

  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Archives for May 2011

Pakistan
Secret Pakistani Deal with US on Bin Laden

Secret Pakistani Deal with US on Bin Laden

Juan Cole

It turns out that when President Obama ordered the Navy SEALs to get Usama Bin Laden in Abbotabad, he did not infringe against Pakistani sovereignty after all. Rather, he was acting in accordance with a longstanding secret agreement between Washington and Islamabad, according to The Guardian. The agreement even stipulated that the Pakistani government would […]

Uncategorized
Wilkerson wants to Waterboard Rumsfeld

Wilkerson wants to Waterboard Rumsfeld

Juan Cole

On MSNBC’s Ed Show, Lawrence Wilkerson, former aid to Colin Powell, asks if he cannot pretty please, please waterboard Donald Rumsfeld? He also reaffirms that former Secretary of State Powell said that Rumsfeld himself is manipulative and deceptive. Here’s a link to George W. Bush’s cancelled trip to Switzerland last winter because of fear charges […]

al-Qaeda
On Bin Laden: I ask myself ‘Why?’

On Bin Laden: I ask myself ‘Why?’

Juan Cole

I ask myself why. Some Pakistanis are complaining about the violation of their country’s sovereignty during the Navy SEALs’ raid at Abbottabad. But why aren’t they complaining about Usama Bin Laden’s violation of Pakistani sovereignty? He and his family entered their country illegally, and then re-formed a paramilitary organization that killed Pakistanis and raided from […]

al-Qaeda
Junun Musician Ahmad: Bin Laden Demise a Great Good thing for Muslims

Junun Musician Ahmad: Bin Laden Demise a Great Good thing for Muslims

Juan Cole

In this excellent Dawn article, rock musician Salman Ahmad of Junun explains why it is a great good thing that Usama Bin Laden was taken out. Ahmad, who favors the mystical, often tolerant, Sufi form of Islam, said that few individuals in the past 1400 years had wrought as much destruction on Islam as Bin […]

Uncategorized
Jahanpour: Is Iran Next? Supreme Leader Versus Ahmadinejad

Jahanpour: Is Iran Next? Supreme Leader Versus Ahmadinejad

Juan Cole

Farhang Jahanpour writes in a guest column for Informed Comment The tug of war between Supreme Leader Khamene’i and President Ahmadinejad Despite the political turmoil and subsequent crackdowns in Iran since summer, 2009, seeming unity among the hardliners who rule the country was largely preserved. Recently, however, the façade of unity between Supreme Leader Ali […]

Afghanistan
Taliban, al-Qaeda Flee N. Afghanistan as Morale Collapses with al-Qaeda admission of Bin Laden's Death

Taliban, al-Qaeda Flee N. Afghanistan as Morale Collapses with al-Qaeda admission of Bin Laden’s Death

Juan Cole

While Usamah Bin Laden’s passing will not destroy al-Qaeda altogether, it is a horrible blow to their morale, despite the bravado in al-Qaeda’s message acknowledging Bin Laden’s death at American hands. (By the way, for those who insisted that President Obama had to release the photos of Bin Laden’s corpse for the reality of his […]

Pakistan
Pakistani Military between Rock and Hard Place

Pakistani Military between Rock and Hard Place

Juan Cole

One of the reasons for which Pakistan’s military is so incensed about the unannounced US raid into Pakistan territory is that they are afraid the operation might form a precedent that could be exploited by India. Indeed, Pakistani generals thought that the SEALs were an Indian special ops team that had inserted itself at Abbottabad. […]

Uncategorized
Koch Brothers Exposed

Koch Brothers Exposed

Juan Cole

Robert Greenwald’s Brave New Foundation is attempting to expose the billionaire Koch brothers and their attempt to buy American democracy. Here is the video: Here is the Variety article about it.

al-Qaeda
Anzalone, After Usama: The Jihadi-Takfiri Trend after Bin Laden

Anzalone, After Usama: The Jihadi-Takfiri Trend after Bin Laden

Juan Cole

Christopher Anzalone writes in a guest column for Informed Comment The killing of Usama bin Laden, the founder of Al-Qa‘ida Central, this week in Pakistan has opened the door to intense speculation about the future of the militant organization and the transnational jihadi-takfiri trend that it represents. A great deal of attention has been paid […]

  • « Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • …
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Support Independent Journalism

Click here to donate via PayPal.

Personal checks should be made out to Juan Cole and sent to me at:

Juan Cole
P. O. Box 4218,
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548
USA
(Remember, make the checks out to “Juan Cole” or they can’t be cashed)

STAY INFORMED

Join our newsletter to have sharp analysis delivered to your inbox every day.
Warning! Social media will not reliably deliver Informed Comment to you. They are shadowbanning news sites, especially if "controversial."
To see new IC posts, please sign up for our email Newsletter.

Social Media

Bluesky | Instagram

Popular

  • Top Things You Still Think You Know About Iran that are Not True
  • Iran's Grand Strategy - Vali Nasr
  • Colonial Logic, not Jewish Wisdom Guides Israel's Wars
  • Air Campaigns don't Win Wars on their Own: Why Israel will largely Fail in Iran
  • Why Trump Bombed Iran: Preserving US and Israeli Nuclear Supremacy in the Middle East

Gaza Yet Stands


Juan Cole's New Ebook at Amazon. Click Here to Buy
__________________________

Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires



Click here to Buy Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam


Click here to Buy The Rubaiyat.
Sign up for our newsletter

Informed Comment © 2025 All Rights Reserved