Juan Cole

Bombings Kill 54 Downtown Baghdad Saudi Clerics Mobilize against Shiites Guerrillas detonated two enormous bombs at Tayaran Square in central Baghdad, killing 54 persons and wounding 106. The bombers targeted day laborers who had gathered looking for work. Those at the Pentagon who want to tackle unemployment and the bad economy have it backwards. First […]

Congressional Hearing on Civilian Casualties in Iraq Stephen Soldz blogs the Paul-Kucinich hearings on civilian casualties in Iraq, at which I testified. Dennis Kucinich has been calling for a US withdrawal from Iraq for some time. His home page is down this morning but should be back up after noon. He is now calling for […]

Ross Guest Editorial on Pinochet ‘ Gone But Not Forgotten by Amy Ross (The writer is an assistant professor of geography and human rights at the University of Georgia.) The dictator is dead. At 91, after nearly a decade fighting desperately to avoid prison, Chile’s General Augusto Pinochet suffered a heart attack while under house […]

Congressional Briefing on Iraq Casualties The authors of the Lancet report on Iraq casualties, along with this ephemeral servant, will be testifying before a bipartisan group in Congress on Monday, December 11 from 10-12 am. My understanding is that it will be carried by C-Span.

Talabani rejects ISG Report Sunni Gunmen Kill Shiite family in Baghdad My editorial in Sunday’s Mercury News treated the issue of the US talking to Syria and Iran about the crisis in Iraq, as the Iraq Study Group urged. Excerpt: ‘ Baker said of Syria, “There is a strong indication they would be in a […]

8 Killed, 44 wounded in Karbala Bombing Sunni Guerrillas break off Talks with US First-rate Iraq historian Sarah Shields argues that Iraq is not having a civil war so much as it is living through the consequences of the US having destroyed its functioning state. I agree with her that the framework for the fighting […]

US Air Strike on Thar Thar British/Danish Raid on Militias in Basra The US military had a firefight on Friday in Ishaqi in Thar Thar, then troops on the ground called in air strikes on two houses used by the guerrillas. Twenty Iraqis were killed, including two women, according to the US. Local Iraqi police […]

Bush/Shiites vs. Baker/Saudis? In my article today at Salon.com, “Will Bush choose his new friends over his old? points out that “The president’s Shiite allies in Iraq really don’t like some of James Baker’s Sunni-friendly suggestions.” By the time the Iraq Study Group report was released, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the previous week […]

Bush Sets Preconditions for Iran, Syria; Senators Critique ISG At a news conference with Tony Blair, George W. Bush basically blew off the Iraq Study Group’s recommendation that he talk to Syria and Iran without preconditions. Excerpts: ‘ “Having an international group is an interesting idea,” Bush said. “We have made it clear to the […]