Juan Cole

Fuel Crisis in Baghdad Dozens of Bodies Found The Sunni Arab guerrillas have long sought to cut Baghdad off from fuel. Al-Sharq al-Awsat/ AFP say that the strategy may be working. The current fuel crisis in Baghdad is virtually unprecedented. This report suggests that if it goes on, it could bring down Maliki’s government. Iraq’s […]

Personal Message on Marjayoun Dr. Khalil Mouchantaf writes from the US Northeast: ‘Dear Mr. Cole, Today I received very sad and shocking news. Three of the civilians who died out of the seven in the convoy escaping Southern Lebanon were from my mother’s town of Marjeoun, a town that has been in the news recently. […]

Qaeda Operative in London Bomb Plot Escapes ‘ Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas said the administration’s “poor management” in Iraq “has created a rallying cry for international terrorists” and “diverted our focus, our military and more than $US300 billion . . . from the war on terrorism.” Pryor said US ports, borders and chemical plants […]

Israeli Response to UN Ceasefire Call: Invades with 30,000 more Troops, Races for Litani The United Nations Security Council finally called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon late Friday. A “cessation of hostilities” means that Hizbullah has to stop its attacks, but Israel doesn’t have to stop its attacks or withdraw from […]

Iraq: Kurdish-Shiite Struggle for Kirkuk Provokes Violence in Shiite South Even though most sermons on Friday in Iraq, both Shiite and Sunni, denounced faith-based violence, tensions over religion continued to run high. In the wake of a massive bomb in the holy city of Najaf on Thursday, young Shiite nationalist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr demanded that […]

Shapiro Guest Editorial: ‘ What will Israel Do? What Will Israel Do? by Adam Shapiro ‘ Each day and night of the week I have been here, I have heard and felt the impact of Israel’s advanced weaponry as it crashes into buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure of Beirut. But it is not only […]

The Pakistan Connection Pakistani police on Thursday arrested a number of UK Muslims within Pakistan who were also suspected of involvement in the “Liquid Bomb Threat.” British authorities say that they have been investigating the group behind the airplane bombing plot for “about a year.” The Scotsman says that the investigation began in 2005. US […]

Israeli Jets Kill 11, Wound 11 in Sunni North Naharnet roundup for early Friday morning (summarizes original sources plus AP & AFP): ‘ Israeli jets pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs and two border crossings in north and east Lebanon early Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 11 others . . . The casualties were […]

Najaf Bombing Kills 34, Wounds 122 A radical Sunni Arab group claimed responsibility Thursday for a horrific bombing in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, near the shrine of Ali. The bombing came during a holy day pilgrimage, and succeeded in deeply angering the inhabitants of Najaf. Al-Sharq al-Awsat says the the Najaf police chief […]