Juan Cole

Bush and Rockefeller Two controversies are swirling. One regards President Bush’s address to the nation on the anniversary of September 11, which Democrats say was too nakedly political for that solemn occasion. The other concerns remarks by Jay Rockefeller that seemed to say it would have been better to leave Saddam in power. With regard […]

Damascus Foils Attack Israel & Lebanon Syrian security foiled an attack on the US embassy in Damascus by elements of the radical Jund al-Sham (Army of Syria), which has radical Sunni fundamentalist views. US Secretary of State Condi Rice expressed her government’s gratitude for Syria’s prompt and effective intervention. Syria has been a US ally […]

US Soldier Killed, among 28 Others Sadrists Reject Draft Law on Confederacies Guerrillas bombed a minivan carrying recruits for the Iraqi army, killing 16. Other Sunni Arab guerrillas staged a a mortar attack on a Shiite mosque Monday in Bani Saad, Diyala Province, killing 7 persons. Altogether, wire services reported 29 dead in civil war […]

Zawahiri threatens Gulf, Israel Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports [Ar.] that Ayman al-Zawahir threatened Monday in a videotape aired on Aljazeera to launch “new attacks” in Israel and the Gulf. He also announced that the biggest Algerian armed group would join “Qaeda al-Jihad in Mesopotamia [Iraq].” A prominent member of the Salafiyah Group for Mission and Battle […]

The War with al-Qaeda The war with al-Qaeda has many dimensions. There is the war with the organization itself. There is the struggle against its offshoots and copycats. There is cooperation with Muslim governments and communities in derailing the threat. There is the question of the strength of Sunni fundamentalist parties that might support al-Qaeda. […]

US “Defeated Politically” in al-Anbar: Marine Report 1 US Soldier, 42 Others Dead in Violence 58% of Americans say the Iraq War has not been worth the loss of American lives. A confidential Marine Corps intelligence report on al-Anbar Province concludes that there are no functioning governmental institutions there, that the vacuum is filled by […]

US Military Numbers brought into Question 40 Dead in Saturday Violence Al-Hakim Demans 8-Province Region The McClatchy News Service has cast doubt on the numbers of killed in Baghdad for August as announced by the US military. The report finds that the “count” of declining “murders” in Baghdad for August had been intended to exclude […]

36 Killed in Civil War Violence Al- Karbala’i Backs Militias The small foreign Salafi terror group in Iraq had called on Thursday for more attacks on Americans in Iraq. Many Iraqi Sunni sermonizers distanced themselves from that call at Friday prayers. In Baghdad, a traffic ban was instituted to forestall car bombings of mosques while […]

Cole in Salon.com on Shiite-on-Shiite Violence My article, “Shiite vs. Shiite,” is out in Salon.com. excerpt: ‘ Among the best-selling jewelry items in Iraq today is a pendant consisting of a whole map of the country. It’s the symbol of a national unity many Iraqis see slipping away, because now even the majority Shiites are […]