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Juan Cole

Iraq
Iraqi Sermons

Iraqi Sermons

Juan Cole

The USG Open Source Center translates or paraphrases Iraqi Friday Prayer sermons from last week. “Round-up of Iraqi Friday Sermons 21 SepIraq — OSC SummarySunday, September 23, 2007 Major Iraqi television channels – Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah, Baghdad Baghdad Satellite Channel, Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad Al-Furat, Cairo Al-Baghdadiyah, and Baghdad Al-Diyar – are observed on 21 September to […]

Uncategorized
Let Slip the Dogs of War and Demonize Ahmadinejad

Let Slip the Dogs of War and Demonize Ahmadinejad

Juan Cole

My column at Salon.com is online: Turning Ahmadinejad into public enemy No. 1: Demonizing the Iranian president and making his visit to New York seem controversial are all part of the neoconservative push for yet another war.” Excerpt: ‘Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly has become […]

Iraq
Iraq Relents on Blackwater Bush to ask for Nearly $200 bn.

Iraq Relents on Blackwater Bush to ask for Nearly $200 bn.

Juan Cole

The Iraqi government is backing off its demand that the Blackwater security firm be expelled from Iraq in the wake of apparently unprovoked shootings that left 11 Iraqis dead, according to the LAT. Apparently the argument has been made to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that the 1,000 Blackwater guards who escort US embassy personnel would […]

Iraq
Pentagon Report Gives Lie to Surge Success

Pentagon Report Gives Lie to Surge Success

Juan Cole

Reprinted for Monday readers: An article on how the schedule for turning Iraqi provinces over to the Iraqi army and police for security purposes has slipped to August 2008 notes of a new Pentagon report: ‘ The Pentagon report cited a litany of problems with the police. For example, it said as few as 40 […]

Israel/ Palestine
Tzipi Livni Aboutface: Now Against Terrorism

Tzipi Livni Aboutface: Now Against Terrorism

Juan Cole

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, now grandstanding at the UN, is the daughter of Eitan Livni, the chief operations officer of the Irgun terrorist organization. Among Irgun’s most spectacular operations was the blowing up of the King David tourist hotel in Jerusalem, which killed dozens of innocents (also some British intelligence officers). Just to give […]

Israel/ Palestine
Escobar on Palestinian Refugees in Brazil

Escobar on Palestinian Refugees in Brazil

Juan Cole

Pepe Escobar writes with regard to my posting about Brazil’s granting of asylum to Palestinian refugees expelled from Palestine by the Israeli military in 1948, who had taken refuge in Iraq but have now been forced out of that country, as well. Escobar writes regularly for the Asia Times and has a recent book, Red […]

Iraq
Iraq: Videotape of Blackwater Attack Jaafari Maneuvers in Najaf

Iraq: Videotape of Blackwater Attack Jaafari Maneuvers in Najaf

Juan Cole

Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they have a videotape of the shootings in Nisur Square last Sunday by Blackwater security guards, which shows that they fired without provocation. The company has maintained that its personnel were responding to incoming fire. There is now talk in Baghdad of trying the guards, though a decree by US […]

Iraq
Sistani Aides Killed UIC Unconcerned with Sadrists’ Departure

Sistani Aides Killed UIC Unconcerned with Sadrists’ Departure

Juan Cole

AP reports that two more aides to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani were assassinated on Friday, bringing the total since late August to 5. Some worshippers who follow Sistani in Basra cancelled Friday prayers, and their mosques stayed empty, in protest. AP says that the governor of Basra, Misbah al-Wa’ili, called for better security for these […]

Iraq
Allawi Rejects al-Maliki’s charge of Treason US Kidnaps another Iranian from the KRG

Allawi Rejects al-Maliki’s charge of Treason US Kidnaps another Iranian from the KRG

Juan Cole

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki slammed his rival, Iyad Allawi of the National Concord Movement, for engaging in secret talks with the Izzat al-Duri branch of the Baath guerrilla movement, aimed at bringing it in to the political process. Al-Maliki said that such activities equated to terrorism. On Wednesday, two members […]

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