Juan Cole

Electoral Lists A kind person in Baghdad sent me this. It is a translation of an official announcement from last month, which appeared in a Kuwaiti newspaper. It is a complete listing of the parties, coalitions and individuals that are contesting the January 30 elections. (Note that the Iraqi Islamic Party has since withdrawn). Note […]

US Rejects Sunni Demand for Withdrawal Timetable 2 US troops Killed, along with Baghdad Deputy Police Commissioner and Iraqi Police, Guards The US rejected on Monday a proposal from the Sunni Association of Muslims Scholars that the US declare a timetable for withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, in return for which the AMS would […]

The New Contours of American Militarism David Ignatius of the Washington Post has a column on Tuesday concerning US options in Iraq. He reports three scenarios from Washington insiders: 1) reduce the number of US troops in hopes that the Sunni Arabs will accommodate themselves to the new Shiite-dominated government, and vice versa; 2) Go […]

US Kills as many as 12 Innocents; 7 Ukrainians die in Blast US troops south of Baghdad near Yusufiyah ran into a roadside bomb near a checkpoint the night of Saturday into Sunday, and immediately opened fire. Apparently they did so indiscriminately, however, killing at least 2 Iraqi policemen and three civilians, though some reports […]

Sistani: Sunnis Must have Effective Participation Al-Hayat: [What follows is a paraphrase:] A source close to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Najaf affirmed Saturday that the new permanent constitution for Iraq must not be sectarian in character, whatever the results of the elections to be held on January 30. He said that “The center of […]

Election Woes Nancy Yousef of Knight Ridder reports from Baghdad that campaigning for the January 30 elections has worsened ethnic tensions. Her interviews with university students reveal that the Shiites she talked to are determined to vote, where the Sunnis are afraid to do so, having received death threats. Speaking of death threats, she reveals […]

Guerrillas Kill 9 US Troops 18 Bodies of Lured Workers Found in Mosul Guerrillas in northwest Baghdad detonated a roadside bomb on Thursday evening as US Bradley Fighting Vehicle went by, killing 7 American troops. In a separate incident or incidents in Anbar province west of the capital, guerrillas killed two US Marines. It was […]

Saudi Tsunami Fundraising Drive Raises over $30 million in First Day Saudi Arabia Television held a fundraising drive for the victims of the tsunami and raised a little over $30 million on the first day. Saudi Arabia’s per capita income is about $8500 per year according to the Atlas method, and there are about 15 […]

Mysterious US strike in Irbil Condemned by Kurds The US military appears to have become convinced that Ansar al-Sunnah, a breakaway group from the largely Kurdish terrorist group Ansar al-Islam, has been operating from dormitories at the Salahuddin University in the Kurdish stronghold of Irbil. US special forces accompanied by Kurdish fighters and helicopter gunships […]