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Juan Cole

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McCain in 1992: Christianity and Oil Drive US Wars in Middle East

McCain in 1992: Christianity and Oil Drive US Wars in Middle East

Juan Cole

From “Larry King Live,” August 3, 1992: McCain gave two reasons for US military involvement in the Middle East. We are a “Judeo-Christian nation” [so it really is a Crusade?] and “as long as the world’s energy resources come from that part of the world . . .” ‘ [Larry] KING: Quickly – El Paso. […]

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McCain 1991: Unwise for US to Invade Iraq

McCain 1991: Unwise for US to Invade Iraq

Juan Cole

On CNN’s Larry King Live, April 23, 1991, Sen. John McCain opposed invading Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein on the grounds that 1) we’d turn Saddam Hussein into a hero; 2) we could not do it with air power and would need to commit ground troops; 3) we wouldn’t be able to tell Sunnis from […]

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McCain Funded Righwing Contra Death Squads

McCain Funded Righwing Contra Death Squads

Juan Cole

Many of the “contras” or members of right wing guerrilla groups fighting the Sandinista government in the 1980s were drug smugglers and terrorists. High government officials of the Reagan and Bush, Sr. administrations knew very well about the drug running. It has been alleged that the Contra drug smuggling sparked the crack cocaine crisis among […]

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Keating: "Certainly hoped" he Bought Influence with McCain

Keating: "Certainly hoped" he Bought Influence with McCain

Juan Cole

Charles Keating on ABC Nightline, May 14, 1990: certainly hoped that the money he gave Sen. John McCain and other politicians influence them to take up his cause. ‘ TED KOPPEL: [voice-over] It’s been called the biggest financial mess in U.S. history: the savings and loan disaster that’s left taxpayers holding the bag for an […]

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McCain Campaign No. 1 at Self-Parody; McCain support for Mujahideen Papered Over

McCain Campaign No. 1 at Self-Parody; McCain support for Mujahideen Papered Over

Juan Cole

Sarah Palin’s jab at Barack Obama on Sunday attempting to tie him to terrorism (!) is another in a long line of gaffes that will hurt her ticket tremendously. You always suspected that McCain, if he got in trouble with the electorate, really would stoop to calling his rival a terrorist. Saturday Night Live writers […]

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Saudi Arabia mediates between Karzai Gov’t, Taliban

Saudi Arabia mediates between Karzai Gov’t, Taliban

Juan Cole

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah recently hosted talks in Mecca, between Taliban and the Karzai government. And that’s the good news!

Iraq
11 Family Members killed in US Raid; GI likely torured in Iraq;

11 Family Members killed in US Raid; GI likely torured in Iraq;

Juan Cole

A US raid on a suspected guerrilla safe house left 11 members of a family dead on Sunday, including three women and three children. The US military insists that the dead men were members of “al-Qaeda” and that the house was full of arms, and that, indeed, some of the destruction was caused by a […]

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Is Karzai’s Brother a Drug Lord?

Is Karzai’s Brother a Drug Lord?

Juan Cole

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai’s brother may be involved in the drug trade. Actually, a majority of Afghans are involved in raising poppies or making and exporting heroin. A good third of the country’s gross domestic product derives from the drug trade and 85% of Europe’s heroin comes from Afghanistan. Some of the Pushtuns the US […]

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15 Turkish Soldiers Dead in Fighting with Kurds; 2 GIs wounded in Helicopter Crash; Sadrists Denounce Negroponte Visit

15 Turkish Soldiers Dead in Fighting with Kurds; 2 GIs wounded in Helicopter Crash; Sadrists Denounce Negroponte Visit

Juan Cole

Fighting between Turkish government troops and Kurdish guerrillas in eastern Turkey and northern Iraq left 15 Turkish soldiers and 23 Kurdish fighters dead. Sounds like a big deal to me– countries that lose 15 men in one day are always tempted to send in more troops. Two US blackhawk helicopters crashed in Baghdad. One Iraq […]

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