Juan Cole

McGreevy: The War’s Deathbed Patrick McGreevy writes from Beirut: The War’s Deathbed ‘ It is 3 am in Beirut. The war is scheduled to keel over and give up the ghost in five hours. Those of us attending the deathbed scene are full of questions and doubts. Might we finally grasp the purpose of this […]

Saving Baghdad Like We Saved Fallujah: Guest Comment A reader who was in Iraq recently writes: ‘[Baghdad:] . . . The city is virtually shut down, and the population suffers from collective trauma. The good people of Iraq did not deserve this. Bush Team paved the way for monsters to take over, and still they […]

Jill Carroll on Her Captivity The Christian Science Monitor is carrying a serial account by journalist Jill Carroll of her captivity in the hands of Iraqi guerrillas. CSM is one of our best sources of world news, and everyone should consider subscribing, to make sure it stays around and we aren’t left only with the […]

Khalilzad and Iran: Guest Comments An informed observer writes: ‘ Ambassador Khalilzad made statements in Baghdad regarding Iran, perhaps for US and Western consumption and seemingly timed in relation to events in Lebanon, based upon this reported context: “Privately, some senior U.S. officials are skeptical the Iranian government is doing more than providing money to […]

Lebanon Accepts UN Ceasefire Hizbullah Kills 24 Israeli Soldiers Despite significant reservations, the Lebanese government on Sunday morning accepted the UN security council resolution. Hizbullah leader Shaikh Hasan Nasrallah also indicated that his party would obey it if the Lebanese government accepted it. I saw Michael Hudson on CNN saying that he thought the fighting […]

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 […]