Juan Cole

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Omid Memarian explains Iran’s turnaround on the Iraqi-US security agreement, which it was rejecting only last month: ‘Obama’s victory disarms leaders such as Ahmadinejad, who for decades have used inefficient American foreign policies as excuses to justify their own failures, mismanagement and corruption. Earlier this year, Ahmadinejad said that the “U.S. (political) establishment will not […]

Somali pirates have hijacked a Saudi oil super-tanker off the coast of Kenya and are steering it toward a Somali port. Somalia Riyadh

My column at Salon.com is out: “Should Obama chase Osama? On Sunday the president-elect told “60 Minutes” he wants to capture or kill bin Laden. Is he setting himself up for failure?” I argue that while actually stepping up pressure on al-Qaeda and quietly going after Bin Laden more vigorously would be all to the […]

Some observers are speculating that the abduction of an Iranian diplomat in Peshawar, northern Pakistan, may signal a new conflict between Iran and al-Qaeda or the Taliban. In the growing diplomatic tiff between Pakistan and Iran over the kidnapping in Peshawar of an Iranian diplomat, Hishmatullah Atharzadeh, the Pakistani authorities have blamed the Tehrik-i Taliban […]

Some observers are speculating that the abduction of an Iranian diplomat in Peshawar, northern Pakistan, may signal a new conflict between Iran and al-Qaeda or the Taliban. In the growing diplomatic tiff between Pakistan and Iran over the kidnapping in Peshawar of an Iranian diplomat, Hishmatullah Atharzadeh, the Pakistani authorities have blamed the Tehrik-i Taliban […]

A Taliban suicide bomber detonated his payload at the entrance of a government building in Dand near Qandahar, killing 2 policemen and a civilian. Aljazeera English reports on Taliban activities near Qandahar and speculates that the movement is aiming to come back into the city of its birth. The report quotes a member of the […]

A Taliban suicide bomber detonated his payload at the entrance of a government building in Dand near Qandahar, killing 2 policemen and a civilian. Aljazeera English reports on Taliban activities near Qandahar and speculates that the movement is aiming to come back into the city of its birth. The report quotes a member of the […]

Al-Zaman reports in Arabic that the Iraqi cabinet approved the security agreement between the Bush administration and the Iraqi government. It will now go to the Iraqi parliament, where it will be voted on on November 24. Out of 36 cabinet members, 28 were present for Sunday’s vote (a lot of Iraqi politicians actually live […]