Juan Cole

Islamist and Jihadist as Iraq Education Minister In his memoirs, US Civil Administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, expressed delight that when his appointed Interim Governing Council selected cabinet ministers, they avoided the American “red lines,” which included a demand that the minister of education not be an “Islamist” so as to protect the interests of […]

At least 80 Dead, with Students Slaughtered No Security Chiefs Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki failed again on Sunday to appoint ministers of the interior and defense, two key security posts at a time of increased violence. The Supreme Council (hard line Shiites) is still trying to hold onto the ministry of interior (domestic policing), which […]

Khamenei: No Nuclear Weapon Program, No First Strike Goal is Energy Independence Abu Ghrayb, Haditha Weaken US Human Rights Claims The US media presented only a snippet from the speech of Supreme Jurisprudent Ali Khamenei of Iran on Sunday, in which he threatened to damage oil supplies to the West if the US militarily attacked […]

Nearly 30 Dead in Basra Bombing, 62 Wounded Political violence in the Iraqi Civil War left 44 dead on Saturday in an arc that stretched from the far south to the northeast of the country. In Basra, guerrillas used a car bomb to kill 28 persons (according to late reports) and wound 62. The bomber […]

14 Killed, 71 Wounded Maliki Demands Haditha File from US 14 deaths were from political violence were announced on Friday, according to Reuters, from bombings and assassinations around Iraq. In the most deadly single incident, “Two roadside bombs went off in an old and popular street market in central Baghdad, killing at least five people […]

Fate of Palestinian Refugees in Iraq It is hell to be stateless. From the USG Open Source Center: ‘ PLO’s Al-Agha: Palestinian Killings in Iraq Part of US-Israeli Settlement ConspiracyReport by Al-Quds correspondent in Gaza: “Dr Al-Agha: It Is a US-Israeli Conspiracy To Force Settlement [of Palestinians]. The Refugees’ Department Condemns the Killing of Palestinians […]

Maliki condemns Haditha Massacre 26 Dead in Violence 56 percent of Americans say that going to war against Iraq in 2003 was the wrong thing to do. And, nearly half say that the US should now either get all troops out or begin withdrawing troops. In fact, nearly 30 percent say all troops should be […]

Ishaqi Massacre Emerges in Wake of Haditha The BBC has received video footage that appears to implicate US troops in the killing of 11 Iraqi civilians at Ishaqi on March 15, and in a subsequent cover-up attempt. The BBC report, and interviews with local police, along with the video, supplied by a Sunni religious group […]

Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood Calls on Shiite Religious Authorities to Prohibit Attacks on Sunnis in Basra From the USG Open Source Center, an article on Jordan’s Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood there, calling on Khamenei, Sistani, Fadlullah and others to forbid attacks on Sunnis. The immediate context is the fears of […]