Juan Cole

University Bombing Casts Doubt on Security Plan Muqtada Calls on Iraqi Army to Act without US Help A suicide bomber with a bomb belt got into the lobby of the School of Administration and Economy of Mustansiriya University in Baghdad and managed to set it off despite being spotted at the last minute by university […]

American Jews, Blacks, Fiercest Opponents of Iraq War 77% of American Jews oppose the Iraq war, according to a new Gallup poll. Only Black Protestants are more opposed, at 78%. (Given that the Pope and the bishops oppose the Iraq War, you’d think Catholics would be against it in large numbers, too. But only 28% […]

Barratt: British Troops Not Withdrawing, being Redeployed to Afghanistan Keith Barratt writes: “I should like to correct a myth that has been accepted by much of the media and accepted by the majority on the Right and Left because it fits their various agendas. It is not true that a firm commitment has been made […]

Khalilzad Apologizes for Arrest of Ammar al-Hakim Maliki Government stalls Changes in Debaathification The US has released Ammar al-Hakim and US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad apologized profusely for his arrest. The US military is giving three reasons for his arrest: He entered Iraq at a closed border station, his passport was expired, and his party was […]

Breaking News: US Arrests Ammar al-Hakim US troops arrested Ammar al-Hakim, the son of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, on his return from Iran. There are conflicting reports on whether he has been released. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, the major bloc in parliament, and is enormously powerful and influential in […]

Cole in Salon on British Troop Withdrawal My article,The British retreat from Iraq brings peril for U.S. Troops: Vice President Cheney says the British are leaving southern Iraq because things are going so well. In the real world, Basra is a mess is out in Salon.com Excerpt: ‘ In reality, southern Iraq is a quagmire […]

Bombing in Tal Afar, Clashes in Ramadi Dems Plan to bring Troops Home in spring, O8 Senate Democrats are crafting legislation that would bring US troops home by spring of 2008. Reuters rounds up political violence on Thursday. Bombings in Kirkuk, clashes in al-Anbar province, bodies found in Baghdad. 2 US GIs killed. Saeed Shah […]

British Withdrawal May bring Militia, Iranian Influence Najaf Bomb Kills 18 Rick Jervis of USA Today–reporting from Baghdad– suggests that the British drawdown from Basra could allow greater Iranian and militia influence in the Shiite deep south of Iraq. LA Times says that the British are drawing down in Iraq because they cannot fight both […]